Promises
by Mister Squatch
Summary: Set almost immediately after the ending of the series, this story will focus on Kirino and Kyousuke's continuing relationship. What plans does Kyousuke have? What promises will they make, or break? Will they grow even closer, or will they drift apart? I own nothing. Oreimo and its characters are the property of the owner(s).
1. The End, or the Beginning?

The entire train ride home, Kirino didn't speak a single word to me. She had been normal the entire day out with her (our) friends, talking, laughing, and arguing as normal. She even made me buy her some random crap in Akihabara. It was just like any other normal day out.

Except we both knew that it wasn't. Not at all.

See, just as we had gotten to Akiba, I had told her that I'd finally thought of a way to use that "one time wish" I'd earned from acing my exams. Kirino and I had made a bet a while back. If I fail my exams, I would be her slave for life (like I wasn't already). And if I got an A, she'd do any one thing I ask. You remember, right? Back when I lived in that apartment for a month. Just making sure we're on the same page.

Anyways, like I was saying, I told her I'd found a way to use that "wish." I beckoned her over, and gave her a good old kiss before she could react. Well, of course, she was pretty damn flustered. Started shouting at me "What about our promise?" and all that. Told me we were having "life counseling" when we got home.

Now, I'd like to point out that I never actually said how I planned to use that "wish." I figured she'd get all panicked and demand something akin to "life counseling" later.

I swear, sometimes she was just so predictable.

So the rest of our day in Akihabara went pretty smoothly. Kirino gallivanted around with Kuroneko and Saori, forcing me to carry an increasingly substantial amount of baggage as we went. Talkative as usual.

As soon as we bid her two otaku friends farewell, however, she fell silent. As we went through the station and boarded the train, she said not a single word to me. Even since we boarded the train, she just stared out the window, her face turned away from me.

But I could see her reflection. I could see the torrent of emotions running across her face. Anger, joy, worry, despair. They were all there.

And I had a pretty good idea as to why.

After a roughly hour long train ride, we got off at our stop. Again, the entire walk back to our house, nothing but silence. Not a word, not even a glance in my direction. She just walked along, making sure to stay just a little bit in front of me. At this point, I couldn't help feeling a little concerned, especially because I was almost completely certain that the reason for her reticence was my actions.

As we stepped through the door and gave our customary greetings, she snatched the bags full of goodies from my hands and darted up the stairs, the sound of her bedroom door slamming coming a few seconds later. I stared up the stairs for a few seconds, wondering just how big of a mess I'd gotten myself into. I mean, sure, I had a plan, but there was no way of telling if it would work. I just trusted that I knew Kirino well enough to believe that it would.

Snapping out of my reverie, I pushed the living room door open to see my mother, Yoshino Kousaka, fixing dinner.

"Oh, welcome back, Kyousuke!" she said with a smile as I entered the room. "How was your day?"

"Not too bad. Just went out with a few friends, nothing special," I replied in my normal, nonchalant tone.

"And Kirino too, right? You were both gone all day." The look my mother gave me wasn't necessarily suspicious in nature, but still had a bit of an edge to it. She had always had surprisingly acute intuition, and was the main reason I had spent that month in the apartment to study for exams. She had said that it seemed like Kirino and I were growing too close, and that I would be distracted.

I wouldn't say that she knew anything for certain, but ever since then she had seemed to keep a close on eye on me and my sister whenever we interacted with each other in her presence. She appeared to have a gut feeling, however intangible, that something was up between us. Still, she had yet to confront either of us about anything. And I sure as hell wasn't going to bring it up.

Maybe I should elaborate a little bit. See, my mother had a pretty good reason to be suspicious of the two of us. Last Christmas Eve, I had done something completely and utterly preposterous. I had not only confessed my love to Kirino, my little sister, but had even asked her to marry me. Very loudly. In public.

And she had done something even more insanely absurd. She had accepted.

After that, we spent the night in a hotel room, where we…uh, well you don't need to know the details. The important part is that she had come up with an idea.

" _Let's be a couple until graduation. After that, we go back to being normal siblings."_

I had looked at her for a few moments, and then agreed. We had made a promise. And I'm a person that keeps all of his promises.

All except this one.

See, when Kirino had proposed that idea to me, a plan flashed through my mind. Nothing specific, obviously, not in those few short seconds before I nodded my approval of her idea. Just enough, though. Enough to go on and work out the specifics later. What flashed through my mind, you ask? Well, she still owed me that "one-time wish," you know.

See where I'm going with this?

Anyway, after that we had dated for an interesting three months. We had gone on dates, and done all the things couples normally do. The whole sha-bang. Everyone had given their blessing to our relationship. Well, everyone except one childhood friend of mine. After graduation, I had called in every favor I possibly could to arrange a "marriage" at the church that Kirino had once done a photoshoot in. We had our little ceremony, and at the end she handed back the ring I had given her that Christmas. She had said something along the lines of "Well, that's it. We're not lovers anymore."

I could hear the feigned casualness of her voice that day. It was a thin veil concealing her true disappointment and pain. It was plain as day to me.

You should know by now, Kirino. You can't lie to me anymore.

I looked back up at my mother to answer, who was still staring at me with her keen eyes.

"Yeah, that's right. She dragged me all around town. Same as always." I put a very small amount of emphasis on that last statement, subtly attempting to dissuade any lingering concern she still harbored.

"Mmm," was her only reply as she turned back to preparing dinner.

"Where's Dad?" I asked as I flopped down on the couch, my eyes idly watching the weather forecast on the television.

"He should be home any second." Almost as if on cue, I heard the front door open and close. A few moments later, my father, Daisuke Kousaka, walked through the living room door.

"I'm home," he said in his usual gruff manner of speaking. His eyes moved from my mother to me sitting on the couch.

"Oh, welcome home, dear," Mom said. "Dinner's just about ready."

"Welcome home, Dad," I greeted him from my seat, nodding in his direction. A grunt was his only reply before he turned back to Mom.

"I'll just go change, then," he muttered, pulling at the collar of the suit he normally wore for work. "Will it be done by then?"

"Should be," Mom replied, not looking up from her work. Dad nodded, then turned around and walked out of the living room, trudging off to his room.

"Kyousuke." I looked up from the television when I heard my mother's voice. "Go tell Kirino to come down for dinner."

"Sure, sure," I replied lazily, heaving myself off the sofa and heading out of the room. I climbed the stairs with a twinge of apprehension. No matter how much our relationship had improved, I always felt a certain sense of dread going to my sister's door.

I quietly walked down the hall until I stood in front of her bedroom door, the frilly and flowered nameplate staring back at me. I knocked on the door twice.

"Kirino, dinner's ready. Come on down."

All was still and silent behind the door. Not that I really expected her to answer. Not after how she acted on the way home.

Confident that she had heard me, I made my way back downstairs to our small kitchen table. My father was already at his seat, and my mother was finishing laying the food out on the table. As I knew she would, Kirino entered not even half a minute after I did, sitting down without so much as looking in my general direction. It almost seemed like she was simply pretending I wasn't there. During the meal, though, she conversed with our parents, chipper as ever.

I finished eating, thanked my mother for the food, and went to wash my plates and put them in the sink to dry. As I was rinsing the dishes off, I heard Kirino excuse herself and get up from the table. It was almost like I couldn't help but be conscious of what she was doing.

That said, I wasn't any less surprised when I turned around to her giving me one of the most penetrating stares I'd ever seen.

I stared right back at her, our eyes locking onto one another's. Her face was impossible to read, betraying no emotion. Her eyes were endlessly deep pools of turquoise, searching my own for…something. They were inquisitive, probing. The moment seemed to go on for a long time, but after a few seconds she broke her gaze without a word, pushing past me to the sink. I frowned, unsure, but eventually sighed. I didn't dare say a word around our overly inquisitive mother.

I left the room at a slow, even pace, making my way up the stairs. I could hear Kirino not too far behind me. I reached my own door, and she walked past me. I threw a glance at her, then turned the handle and opened it.

"Hey."

I froze, halfway through the doorway. Staying silent, I looked up to see her standing stock still in the hallway, her back to me. I knew this was coming. I had known since the moment I decided to kiss her in Akihabara.

"After they go to bed. My room."

"For what?" I answered, deciding to play dumb.

"You know what. Idiot," she muttered softly, opening the door to her own room, entering, and closing it after it her. All without looking at me.

I stood there a while longer. Eventually, I couldn't help but smirk a little and mutter to myself.

"Yes, I do know what, Kirino."

Closing my door, I flopped on my bed to wait for my parents to go to sleep.

All according to plan.


	2. Kyousuke's Wish

Hey there. So, here's chapter two. I've found myself with some free time for the next few days, so you can probably expect another chapter or two within the next week, as I'm having a lot of fun writing this so far.

This was originally supposed to be only half of a chapter, but I decided to break it up for whatever reason. I have a general idea of where I want to go with this, but nothing's set in stone yet, and I'm not sure how far I'm going to take it length-wise.

For now, if you keep reading, I'll keep writing.

* * *

Have you ever just laid in your bed, staring up at the ceiling or the fan or whatever, completely still, but inside your head everything's moving at the speed of light? Well, that's what I've been doing the past couple of hours. It seemed like the only thing I _could_ do. Oh, trust me, I tried to empty my mind, keep myself calm, tell myself that I had it all worked out nice and neat. But I knew damn well that nothing about this could possibly be described as "nice and neat."

You've probably already figured it out by now, but I planned to use that "one-time wish" Kirino owed me to break the promise we made about being a couple only until graduation. The promise we made to go back to being normal siblings.

And if you hadn't figured that out, well…pedal faster.

So this begs the question, why? Why would I want to disrupt such a clean break back to normality? Why would I not want to return to my perfect, normal, ordinary, boring everyday life? Isn't that what I wanted?

Well, you see, over the past few years "what I wanted" had changed a bit. I found myself actually enjoying being dragged around to events I had no interest in, sticking my nose in my sister's problems when it honestly wasn't any of my business in the first place. Looking back on it, no matter how much I complained, I honestly did all those things voluntarily. If I had really, truly not wanted to, I would have flat out refused. And that would have been that. Kirino and I's relationship never would have changed, never would have evolved from the period of icy silence between us.

I did all those things willingly, in the end. I had given up my time, my dignity, and multiple chances with girls whose affection I didn't deserve. I probably gave up my sanity at some point along the way, too.

And now I planned to give up my last chance at a normal life. Damn, what the hell happened to me?

Oh, right. Kirino happened. I had almost forgotten. I was a twisted, rotten degenerate who fell in love with his little sister.

Now, I wouldn't necessarily describe myself as self-righteous, but I think it's still safe to say that I'd given up quite a bit for Kirino's sake these past few years. Don't you think I'm entitled to just a little bit of selfishness after that? One act to try and make myself happy for a change?

Of course, this whole plan wasn't just for my happiness. I genuinely believed it would make her happy, as well. We've grown closer, to the point where it was often times easy for me to read her, to figure out what she's thinking. I wasn't a hundred percent right all the time, of course, but I couldn't even come close to that level of understanding a few years back.

So, yeah, I think I know Kirino pretty well by now. Well enough to believe that this stupid "wish" of mine might just be crazy enough to work. Maybe she was even wishing for me to wish it.

Anyway, I had a fair amount of confidence, in the beginning, at least, that my scheme would have its desired result. Still, I wasn't without my doubts, and as I lay there staring at the ceiling, those doubts bubbled to the surface. Eventually they came to a boil, churning around in my head incessantly, refusing to be quiet. I ended up working myself up more and more as time went on, my nerves steadily decreasing my confidence.

So by the time I heard my parents head into their room for the night, you could say I was something of a nervous wreck.

I didn't go right away. It would take them a few minutes to settle in, and probably another ten or fifteen to fall asleep. Just enough time for my brain to hurl any latent insecurities I had in my face.

I turned to look at the clock on my desk. The time read a quarter past ten. They should be asleep by now.

Commanding my body to move, I slowly got up off the bed. Stalling for time, I stretched a little. Then the small part of me that wasn't completely freaking out by now ordered my body to open my bedroom door and move into the hallway. Before I knew it, I was standing outside Kirino's door.

I gulped, remembering Kirino's silence for the better portion of the day. Maybe she knew what I was up to. Maybe she already figured it out, and just wants to tell me she hates me and to never speak to her again. Maybe she…

No. I can't let myself think like that. I can't lose heart now. I reminded myself why I was doing this, who and what I was doing it for.

For her happiness, and mine.

I reached up to knock, and that's when I noticed my hand shaking slightly. Cursing myself, I flexed the fingers on my hand a few times and shook my head vigorously. I couldn't back out now.

Steeling my resolve, I raised my hand again and knocked twice, quietly.

She didn't answer immediately. It was a good ten seconds or so before the door finally creaked open. The room beyond was dark, not even the light from her computer screen illuminating it.

Even so, in the darkness I could make out the silhouette of her face. Her expression wasn't visible, but I could tell that she was staring intently at me. Without a word, I saw her disappear from the crack, but the door didn't close. Taking that as my invitation to enter, I pushed the door the rest of the way open and softly stepped into the room, making sure to close it behind me.

Turning around, I could make out her form sitting on the side of her bed. Not sure what I should do, I settled for asking a question.

"So…why is it so dark in here?"

"Headache," she muttered. My eyes had adjusted to the dim light enough that I could see she was glaring at me accusingly. Apparently it was my fault, as always.

I decided going to sit next to her on the bed wasn't really the best idea, so I sat on the floor a few feet in front of Kirino, waiting for her to speak. A minute rolled by, then two. Feeling a twinge of annoyance, I broke the strained silence.

"So you don't say a word to me all day, then tell me to come to your room for more of the silent treat—"

"Shut up." I blinked, looking up at Kirino. She was staring at her knees, her fists clenched on top of them. Her head snapped up, and her eyes bore into mine in a similar way to our earlier silent exchange in the kitchen. "You know why you're here," she continued, irritation evident in her tone.

Reasoning that the tie for denial had past, I sighed.

"I suppose I do. And?"

"And? _And?_ " Kirino's eyes narrowed. "That's what you have to say for yourself?"

Another sigh escaped my lips. There really wasn't a reason to beat around the bush on this.

"No, I suppose I do have more to say. Do you remember what I told you earlier?" I asked, my voice wavering a bit. I was still far from calm.

"Of course I do. You said you'd found a way to use that wish I owed you. And apparently your wish was to…k-kiss me? In public?" Kirino crossed her arms over her chest, looking at me with disdain. "What kind of bullshit was that?" she practically spat.

"No, that wasn't—"

"I wasn't done talking." She frowned at me, then resumed, her hands taking their place on her knees again. "That's…that's why I told you to come. We made a promise, remember? We can't do things like that anymore." Kirino looked back down at her clenched fists, which tightened as she finished speaking.

"…Kirino. That wasn't my wish," I began, feeling my heartrate skyrocket. The sound of blood pulsing through my veins was deafening to my ears. Kirino looked up, confused.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, momentarily distracted by my statement.

"Wishes are normally spoken, right? I don't remember saying anything that sounded like a wish. Do you?"

"Well…no. But I figured what you did after you mentioned it was it." Kirino's face was conflicted, still locked in a staring contest with her knuckles.

I gulped, swallowing down as many doubts and fears as I could. I had to say it. For my sake, and hers.

"The one thing I want you to do, the one thing I wish for is for you to…break the promise we made."

Kirino's head whipped up to stare at me yet again, her expression unreadable.

"…What did you just say?"

Taking a deep breath, I repeated myself. "The promise we made. To go back to being normal siblings after graduation. I want you to break it. That's my 'one-time wish.'"

Kirino was silent for a few seconds, and then stood up.

"Get out. Now."

I pushed myself up from the floor, looking at her.

"Kirino…"

" _Now!"_ she almost shouted.

"No." My refusal came out quietly. I wasn't entirely sure what to do. This possibility had run across my mind, but so had my response to it.

I wasn't leaving. Not just yet. She was going to hear me out.

Kirino clicked her tongue angrily, glaring at me, her expression one step below furious.

"It's my room. I don't want you here anymore, so leave."

I planted my feet firmly on the ground, crossing my arms in defiance.

"I'm not going anywhere until you listen to what I have to say."

Kirino continued staring daggers at me for a while, probably weighing her options. Maybe she knew that I was equally as stubborn as her, but eventually she acquiesced.

"You have three minutes. Start talking. After that, you're gone."

I sighed, letting out the breath I had been unconsciously holding in.

"Are you really happy with this, Kirino? Just ending it there? Saying none of it meant anything? Deciding 'Boom, time's up, it's over now?' Is that really, truly what you want?"

She turned her eyes away from me, the look on her face clouded. Then she spoke.

"It doesn't matter. I had my fun; you let me indulge in my little fantasy. Now it's over. And that's that."

I pinched the bridge of my nose between my fingers, frustrated.

"So it was nothing but a fantasy, was it? Just a whim, a fleeting moment of happiness? No substance, nothing to hold on to? You're telling me it meant _nothing_?"

I huffed and shook my head.

"Sorry, Kirino, but I don't believe that."

She turned to face me at those words, her teeth bared in a snarl.

"Who gives a shit what you believe? I told you, this is how it is. How it has to—"

Kirino cut herself short, looking surprised at what she let slip. I jumped at the chance.

"See? You just think this is how things have to be, not how you _want_ them to be!"

Kirino looked down, her arms falling limp at her sides.

"…matter."

"What? I couldn't hear—"

My sentence was cut short by a hand making contact with my left cheek at fairly high speed.

"I said it doesn't matter! It was just a fantasy of mine, okay? It's sick! Twisted! Insane! I mean, we're _siblings_! None of it could ever amount to anything, let alone last! Are you stupid? You're just as messed up as I am for going along with it, but still! Look, just forget any of it ever happened. Pretend it was all a dream. Not one bit of it was real."

I was taken aback for only a second, but then took a step towards her, looking directly at her face. She refused to meet my eyes. Seems like she'd been having trouble doing that lately.

"What about what we did on Christmas Eve? That night at the hotel? Was that a dream too?" As awkward as it was mentioning it, there was no point denying what happened.

Kirino gasped a little, flushing bright red. "Wh-why would you bring _that_ up?" She shook her head vigorously from side to side, as if trying to clear her thoughts. "If anything, that just proves my point of how seriously screwed up it is! Even more reason for us to—"

I was done with this back and forth with her. I grabbed Kirino's shoulders firmly and brought my face directly in front of hers, making sure her eyes met mine.

"Look me in the eye and tell me we can just go back to normal."

She stared back at me, not breaking eye contact. Her face grew even redder, and her angry expression faltered.

"I…we…th-that's…" she stuttered, apparently not able to form a coherent response.

"How much plainer can I make it?" I said, sighing. I squeezed her shoulders a little.

"Kirino, I'm still…in love with you. And I think you still feel the same way. I don't think we can just go back to normal siblings. That's the real fantasy, if you ask me. I know that we made a promise, but I don't think it's a promise either of us can honestly keep. Do you?"

Kirino stood there silently, looking at me with surprised, almost frightened eyes. I could feel her shoulders trembling under my hands. I don't know how long we stood there, my hands gripping her shoulders, staring at each other's eyes. I lost track of how many different emotions I saw flicker across her face, how many times her eyes grew hard, softened, then became piercing again.

For a second it almost looked like she was about to lean in and kiss me. Then her head dropped and she shoved me away. Hard.

"Leave." Her voice was no more than a murmur, but that word echoed in my head. I didn't want to believe that I had heard it, but there was no doubt as to what she said. I looked at her, shock and hurt evident in my face.

I stood there stock still. My mouth wouldn't form words, and my limbs refused to move.

"…Kyousuke. Please, I…I can't see you right now. Just go. Please."

I felt my mouth flapping open and shut like a fish, still trying to find something to say. Anything. I had to say something. That she was wrong, that I would stay, to ask why she couldn't see me.

But I couldn't. The words wouldn't come.

So I turned around. And I opened the door.

Before I went into the hallway, I turned back to see her still standing there, her head hung, her form lifeless. I couldn't help but wince. It hurt me to see her like this. Wasn't I trying to make her happy?

But in the back of my mind, something told me,

" _There's nothing you can do for her right now."_

So I said the only thing that I could.

"Kirino…if you ever need anything…I'm here."

Then I walked out the door, shutting it behind me.

The next thing I knew, I was in my room. I laid down on my bed, my mind whirling even worse than it was not even an hour ago. I didn't know how to feel. This was not the outcome I had been expecting, and certainly wasn't the one I had hoped for. I cursed myself internally.

 _Was this all "part of your plan," jackass?_

All I wanted to do was make her happy. I knew, or at least I thought I did, that breaking up after graduation wasn't what she really wanted. Now, however, I wasn't so sure. My confidence, my feeling of understanding Kirino, my belief that I was doing this not just for myself…everything was shaken to the core. If this were an eroge, this would be the point where I would load a save, go back, and do things differently.

But this wasn't an eroge. This was real life.

And in real life, there is no going back.


	3. Can We Really Be Happy?

Hey there. Sorry this one took so long to get out, but I've been pretty darn busy lately. I'm going to try and release a new chapter every week, but I hope you'll bear with me if it's not the same day every time. Regardless, you're here for the story, not to listen to me babble. I hope you enjoy.

* * *

Two days have passed since the night of Kirino and I's "Life Counseling." If you can even call it that. It's not like we really got anywhere, unless you count my plan blowing up in my face.

Kirino hasn't spoken to me. If I said it didn't bother me, it would be a bald-faced lie. I'd honestly grown used to talking with her on a daily basis, being harassed to play this game and that, being dragged out, made to carry her stuff, the works. Sounds like an awful time, I know, but it was actually kind of fun. I don't know, maybe I'm just some kind of masochist. Hell, I even enjoyed our constant bickering.

Why am I thinking in the past tense, like I'll never do any of things again? Since when do I give up so easily?

Dammit.

I want to talk her. Very badly. But at the same time, I feel like attempting to bring up the subject with her wouldn't help the situation. If anything, I'm worried that it would just make it worse. I'm already scared shitless that because of my actions, because of what I asked of Kirino, that we'll return to how we were before I found out her hobby. That everything I worked so hard for, everything I did for her, the closeness I…we worked so hard to attain will all amount to nothing.

I'm scared shitless, honestly. Can you blame me?

A few weeks ago, hell, even a few days ago, I would have said that the bond between Kirino and myself was stronger than that. That we'd been through too much to have it broken. Now, however, I wasn't so sure.

It's not like this was the first time I'd done something that on the surface seemed blatantly against her wishes. All those ridiculous, probably irrational things I did were for similar reasons, too. Selfish reasons, sure, but also because I knew that deep down, it was what she really wanted.

This was the thread of hope that I was clinging to. That this was another of those times. That eventually she would come around. That we were at the point where she couldn't just go back ignoring me like she used to.

Then again, I knew now that she had never truly ignored me. Not really.

Now don't start thinking I'm some wimp that refuses to talk to her, and I've just been sitting here with my tail between my legs. It's not that.

Many, many times over the past two days, I've gotten up from my desk, with the intent of walking down the hall, knocking on Kirino's door, and demanding that we talk this out. But every time I walked out into the hall, a small voice in the back of my head spoke up.

" _Let her be."_

Every time, I stopped and went back into my room. Or just stood there like an idiot in the hallway for a while, staring at the door to her room before heading downstairs for a drink or something.

Something was telling me that I had to let her figure out her own thoughts. To let her figure out what she really wanted.

Me? I knew what I wanted. I had already found my resolve. If I wasn't sure of it, I wouldn't have made a complete ass out of myself last Christmas Eve by loudly proclaiming my love for my little sister so the whole world could hear.

Speaking of which, since it _was_ Christmas Eve, all those bystanders seemed to be under the impression that we were shooting a movie, or something along those lines. That just goes to show how preposterous the whole idea was.

Oh trust me, I know I'm messed up. No, more than that. I am so royally fucked in the head, it's not even funny. Come on, what kind of person goes and falls for his little sister out of all the women in the world? A perverted, disturbed siscon? Yeah, probably someone like that. The dregs of society, someone in need of serious mental help.

The possibility of it just being a phase for both of us has run through my mind multiple times. Maybe we would just grow out of it, and these feelings would fade with time.

Now, I'm definitely no expert on romance. But what I felt for Kirino, as insane as it was, seemed very, very real to me. In an irrefutable way. In a way that didn't just feel like misplaced brotherly affection from a lack of being a big brother for her when I should have been.

If I wasn't absolutely, one hundred percent certain of that fact, I wouldn't have turned down every girl that confessed to me.

I wouldn't have hurt Kuroneko the way I did.

Anyway, no point in dwelling on the past.

Kirino and I had just graduated, so we had some time off before she started high school. I was still in the process of finding a college. Preferably, I want to find something close that I can just commute to. My parents didn't seem to have a problem with the idea of me staying at home. For now, at least.

I still honestly had no clue what field I wanted to go into. Right now business seemed like a good, general choice. There was a lot you could do with that, right? And hey, I didn't hate acting as a manager for Kanako that one time. Even if she was a brat, it was still enjoyable.

Jeez, maybe I really am a masochist.

So, what have I been doing the past two days? Well, let's see. I still had Kirino's laptop, so I've been researching some schools in the area. And…that's about it, actually, if you don't count agonizing over what the hell I should do about the situation with my sister.

I'd thought about calling Saori to ask her advice on the matter, but ultimately decided that this was between us. I've already relied on her a great deal, and honestly owed her more than I could ever repay. I didn't want to drag her into something if it wasn't absolutely necessary to involve her. I'm not even sure if there's anyone I know that could help.

Kuroneko?

…No. Definitely not with this.

Ayase?

Oh _hell_ no. I like living, thanks.

My father?

Come on, what did I just say?

Seems like this one really does have to be worked out just between the two of us. Speaking of which…

As for Kirino, she'd shut herself up in her room. She would come down for meals, finish eating before the rest of us were even close to done, and go right back up again. All without saying any more than necessary.

Earlier, Mom had asked her what was wrong at the dinner table. Kirino just mumbled something about being tired before excusing herself. I could see the worry written on our mother's face as Kirino left the room, but she didn't ask me about it, thankfully. I was worried, though. Normally, Kirino was pretty adept at keeping up appearances. It wasn't like her to so easily let other people know that something was wrong.

Dammit. I think I may have screwed up worse than I thought.

* * *

Thursday. It's been another three days. So far, nothing's changed.

I'd be lying if I said this wasn't starting to wear me down a bit. My decision to not bother Kirino was really starting to piss me off. I hated that voice in my head telling me to wait. Was my subconscious just sadistic or something?

It hasn't been easy leaving her alone. When you get used to how things are, it feels weird when it changes. Wrong. With how close we'd grown, how much we'd shared with each other, not having any interaction all of a sudden was a shock to my brain. I just didn't know how to react. All I could think about all day was her. Why was she refusing to say anything to me? I wanted to, I don't know, make her sit down and not let her leave the room until she'd given me a good explanation. And maybe from there we could talk things out.

But this? This silence? It was worse than years ago when we just plain didn't talk. Back then, I just accepted it as how things were. She had her life, and I had mine. Our paths didn't cross.

Obviously, though, eventually they did. And since then, it seems like our lives were too tangled up to straighten themselves out again.

Things just don't work that way. Although, part of me wondered if that wasn't exactly what Kirino was trying to do. She was definitely stubborn enough to try. After all, she's done it in the past. When she flew to America, when she gave her blessing for me and Kuroneko to start dating; I could think of a multitude of instances off the top of my head.

So how was I supposed to deal with this? Why hadn't I done what I, or at least someone, had done all those times and just drag her back, force her to face the problem? I had made it clear what I wanted, and Kirino had made her own feelings fairly clear, albeit in an indirect, roundabout way.

Which is typical Kirino, of course.

But…was I really allowing her to slip away this time? Something in me was saying, very strongly, that approaching her first was the wrong move. That I had to let _her_ come to _me_.

…What if she never did?

I dwelled on that thought for a moment. What if Kirino never came around? What if things simply stayed like this, and we just reverted to a time before any of this ever happened? No life counseling, no tearful confessions, no "wedding", no lessons learned.

I felt my heart sink. No, more than sink. I could feel the shadow of an endless, pitch black hole in my chest. An echo of what such a turn of events would do to me. Just the thought of it was enough to send me reeling.

"No. Calm down, Kyousuke. You wouldn't let that happen. You said it yourself. After all that's happened, it's not possible to just 'go back.'"

Talking to myself, I eased some of my anxiety, but felt the weight of my words.

There really is no turning back. This is the path I've chosen.

Some would say that it's morally wrong. That it's disgusting, that I (or we) should be separated for the rest of our lives. I'm sure some would even go so far as to lock me up. This road was the one shunned by most of the world, the road that people spoke of in hushed whispers.

A road filled with stones to trip me, branches to lash out at me, and dark trees that concealed where it led.

But somehow, I knew that it was the only one I could take.

And I'd bet anything Kirino knew she was walking on the same road with me, no matter how tightly she tried to close her eyes.

Ah. That's it.

Now I get it. Now I know why I've been leaving her alone. Now I understand why the voice in my head was telling me to not confront her.

It isn't that I've suddenly given up or something like that. Maintaining the silence proves its own point.

There is no way anything could ever be normal again. I've accepted this fact. Kirino is in denial, as usual.

Normally, I'd just shove reality in her face, and she would have no choice but to accept it, because she knows I'm right, somewhere deep down.

With this, however, things are a bit different. This is kind of the final battle in a weird way. Part of me knows that I can't force this on Kirino. She simply has to figure this out for herself.

In the end, this is not a decision I can make for her.

All that said, I'm fairly confident that she'll come to the same conclusion as me. The only problem is, it's pretty much a given that reaching that point will be extremely difficult for Kirino. I've long since known that regarding her feelings towards me, she's been fighting a war with herself for a very, very long time. Even after we confessed to each other, she still couldn't find it in her to accept it. This whole time, she's tried to run away, to make compromises.

Since our life counseling began, I've viewed Kirino as having two sides: Her public self and her private self. A large portion of the advice she asked for was for the purpose of reconciling these two sides, to find a kind of harmony between them. Getting her otaku self in tandem with her public image as a model and star student was one thing.

The issue of our feelings, especially hers, has never been quite so easy. It's not so simple to give her advice, and that could be taken as me trying to manipulate her or something. I don't want that.

That's why I'm giving her time and space. She needs it to be able to work through this on her own. Once she comes to a conclusion and sorts her thoughts out a bit, then we can talk.

If she comes to a different conclusion than me, well…I'll deal with that when or if it comes.

I rolled my eyes over to digital clock on my nightstand. Four in the afternoon. Damn, I've been laying in my bed thinking for way too long. I need to snap out of it a little. Moving around abit might help clear my head.

"Hm, tea sounds pretty good right now."

Hoisting myself off the mattress, I made my way to the stairs, glancing at Kirino's door as I passed the hallway. I got downstairs and was about to open the living room door when I heard a rather peculiar sound. It was definitely the television, but the noise of a newscaster droning on that was the norm was absent. This sound was definitely familiar, though.

It was the opening theme song of Stardust Witch Meruru.

Oh, right, our parents were out today. Kirino liked to watch anime on the big screen while they were gone and she had the chance.

I hesitated. Going in there to get some tea would be extremely awkward if Kirino was watching her anime, and I didn't want to do anything to aggravate her. Still…

Curiosity urged me forward. That and the desire to have any kind of interaction with her, even if it was horribly unpleasant. Living under the same room and having no contact with her when we were normally so…close must have addled my brains or something. Or I'm just a masochist.

Or more desperate than I care to let on.

Deciding to test the waters a bit, I opened the door just a crack and peeked inside. And then immediately wished I hadn't.

Kirino was sitting on the couch, the noise of her favorite anime blaring. Her hands hung loose at her sides, hands resting on the seat. She was wearing some of her favorite clothes for relaxing, blue shorts and a pink top. I could tell immediately that something was off, though. Previously, when I'd been near her while Meruru was on a screen, she would throw herself into the show enthusiastically, dancing and singing along.

But she just sat there, lifeless as a doll, staring at the screen. Or rather, staring _through_ it. Her eyes were unfocused and vacant. There were dark, heavy bags under her eyelids, and she seemed pale. It wasn't a pretty sight.

Grimacing, I was about to silently shut the door when something stopped me.

A single tear rolled down Kirino's cheek.

Without thinking, I flung the door open. Maybe it was reflex or instinct or something of the sort. Some kind of conditioned response to seeing her in this much pain, which was something I had grown unable to stand.

Understandably, she jumped and let out a yelp while turning to look at me, her eyes wide. She kind of resembled a deer in headlights. I wasn't sure what kind of face I was making, but Kirino recovered quickly. She hastily wiped her face against her sleeve, as if getting rid of the moisture would make me unsee it.

Then Kirino did what she always had when faced with a situation she didn't know how to respond to: she got angry. Her mouth curled downwards into a scowl, and her brow furrowed.

But the loud insults I expected didn't come. Instead, she silently turned off the TV and got up. Her eyes closed, she walked towards me and shoved her way through the doorway and up the stairs. I heard her go into her bedroom.

And that was that. I stood stock still, unable to move. The confrontation I had thought was coming never did.

But I didn't feel relieved. Actually, quite the opposite.

Maybe I had just been in denial, or maybe I was just blind. But Kirino was obviously in a great deal of pain. It was as if the life had been completely sucked out of her.

This wasn't what I wanted. This wasn't what I had been trying to accomplish. I never meant to hurt her, I only wanted to give her room to think things through.

Shit. Shit, shit, shit.

Suddenly, I wasn't so thirsty anymore. I turned around and went back upstairs. If I went and knocked on her room now, chances are she wouldn't answer. If she did, it would just turn into a fight. So I decided I would talk to her tomorrow, one way or another. I couldn't let this go on. Seeing her like that made me think about a lot of things. Was I really just being selfish? Did I not know her as well as I thought I did, and was only hurting her through my proposed "wish"?

Ultimately, I wouldn't know until I talked to her again. That's what it boiled down to.

I wasted some time reading manga, and went to bed early, my head still reeling. I remember falling asleep shortly after I heard my parents return home. Hopefully they would think I was just tired from studying.

* * *

I woke up suddenly, instantly confused. It was like a loud noise had roused me, but everything seemed quiet. A quick glance at my clock let me know it was around two in the morning. The middle of the night.

Then I sat up, and noticed that I wasn't alone. Someone was standing between the bed and the door.

" _Holy shit!"_ I couldn't help but yell.

"K…Kirino?"

The figure standing there was most definitely my sister. She stared at me with the same blank eyes I had seen earlier I the living room. Except now she looked like she was hurting even more somehow.

"Damn, you scared the hell out of me. What are you doing in here?" I asked, trying to will my heart to slow down after suffering such a shock.

"…hy…"

I heard her say something, but it was so quiet that I couldn't make it out.

"Kirino…what's wrong?" I knew, of course, but what else could I say?

"…Why…?" This time I heard what she said as she starting taking shuffling steps towards me. I didn't really know what to say as Kirino got closer, eventually standing right in front of me besides the bed. She crawled up into it, staring into my eyes the entire time. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't pretty freaked out. She hadn't spoken to me in days, and now she was staring at me while kneeling on my bed. In the middle of the night.

We looked at each other for who knows how long. It seemed like she was searching for something in my face again, although I wasn't sure what she was looking for, or hoped to find.

After almost a minute, I couldn't deal with it anymore. I gently laid my hand on her shoulder. She twitched slightly, and her eyes widened.

"Kirino…"

When I said her name, it was like a mask she had been wearing shattered. The vacant look I'd seen her wear so much these past few days gave way to a look of immense pain, Before I knew it, her head was buried in my chest and her arms were wrapped tightly, desperately around me. I felt her sobs before I heard them.

"…Why…did it…*hic*…have to…be you?" Her words were muffled as she spoke into my shirt.

"What do you mean?"

"You know…*sniff*…what I mean! Out of everyone, out of all the guys in the world…"

She raised her head and looked at me, fresh tears running down her cheeks.

"Why did I have to fall in love with _you_?"

I blinked a few times, unsure how I should respond. Instead of saying anything, I wrapped my arms around her trembling frame and pulled her close. After a few moments, Kirino continued.

"I…I had it all figured out. I had a plan in my head of how I wanted things to go." She shook her head. "No, how things had to happen. I would live out my little fantasy for a while and get my fill, and then I'd force myself to go back to normal. What I wanted was just that— a fantasy. I knew that we could never…actually…"

She buried her face in my chest again and weakly bumped her fist against my shoulder.

"And then…you had to mess everything up…just like you always have. Every time, _every time_ I make a plan, you pull me back from it! You always ruin it somehow! Why? _Why?!_ "

This I had an answer for.

"Every time you came up with some kind of scheme or plan, it was always some new way to run away. You knew that they wouldn't make you happy, and so did I." My hand came to rest on top of her head, stroking her hair gently. "That's why."

She beat her small fist against me again, but there was no effort behind it.

"…Idiot…I know."

We fell silent, save the noise of Kirino's occasional sobs and sniffles. She was still crying, but she seemed to have calmed down a little. Maybe words weren't what she needed to get off her chest. Maybe she just wanted to be close to me. Or maybe I'm just projecting, and that's simply how I feel.

I took a deep breath, trying to find the words I knew I needed to say.

"Kirino…I'm sorry. For a lot of things. I never meant to hurt you by bringing up that 'wish'. I just felt…I don't know, scared. To me, those three months we were together were the happiest times of my life, to be honest. I didn't want them to end. So I took a gamble. I won't lie and say I was only thinking of your happiness when I asked you to break our promise. Part of it was just me being selfish."

I hesitantly laid my cheek on her head. It was kind of awkward, but still nice.

"It just seemed to me that…you may have felt the same. That you didn't want it to end, that maybe you still lo—"

" _Of course I didn't want it to end!"_ She looked up at me, anger and hurt apparent in her eyes. "But we can't! I mean, we're siblings! Things like that don't happen in real life, okay? They just…can't…" Her head dropped back down, bumping against my sternum. I felt the tears start again, and she tightened her grip around me again.

She had a point. There was no way we could be in a normal relationship like other people. It simply wouldn't work. Society would shun us, and probably a decent amount of our friends would do. And I don't even want to think about what would happen if our parents found out, especially our father. I would probably be killed.

"We'd have to keep it a secret. But it's possible."

Kirino looked up and sniffled. "Huh?"

"It wouldn't be easy. We wouldn't be able to do a lot of the things normal couples do. If we did, we'd have to plan it very carefully so that word wouldn't get to anyone that can't know."

I looked down into her confused, watery eyes, a sense of determination in my voice.

"But we could make it work."

"I…what…" Kirino stumbled over her words, and I seized the opportunity.

"Kirino, I love you. And I don't think that's going to change any time soon. Trust me, I understand the part that wants to try and distance yourself from it, that maybe things will change, maybe these feelings will go away. I'm not stupid, I know that's what you've been trying to do, both before and this past week. But I can't help wanting to be with you. When I'm not, I can't stand it. Not talking to you recently has hurt. A lot. I don't want us to be like that. I don't want to go back to how things were when we barely spoke, and weren't a part of each other's lives. I love you, and I want to be with you, even if it will be far from easy. Because the alternative is even worse, in my opinion."

I placed my hands on the sides of her face and looked into her eyes, which had gone wide.

"Can you look me in the eye and tell me you don't feel the same way?"

She looked at me for a long time, and then her eyes softened.

"…No."

"Do you trust me?"

"…Yes."

Tears rolled down Kirino's face, but they were quiet. There was no sobs, no sniffles.

"Do you want to be with me as much as I want to be with you?"

"…Yes."

"Do…do you love me?" Saying it was embarrassing, but I kind of needed to know.

All of a sudden, though, I felt something soft and warm press against my lips as I was pushed backwards onto the bed. Kirino was on top of me, her hands fiercely wound into my hair, her eyes closed. She held the kiss for a long while before pushing herself back up.

"Yes."

I felt my face break into a wide grin. I couldn't help it. A surge of heat swelled up inside me, and my chest felt light. Kirino grinned back before sliding into the covers next to me and throwing her arm across my chest.

"I'm scared, though. Really, really scared." Her voice didn't tremble, but I could tell her fear was genuine. I felt the same thing.

"I know. I'd be worried if you weren't. I am too, honestly. But there hasn't been anything we haven't been able to get through so far, has there?"

She sighed contentedly and pressed herself closer to my side.

"True. Still…"

She thumped her hand against my ribcage.

"Ow! Hey!"

"That's for making me depressed, and for leaving me alone all week. To make up for it, I'm sleeping here tonight."

"You—"

"Sh."

She put her finger to my lips, her eyes still closed.

"Don't talk."

She was right. I wrapped my arms around Kirino, and stroked the back of her head lightly. Some things didn't require words to express. And a lot of the things we felt, the things we needed to tell each other, were difficult to communicate by speech. We just laid there and held each other, in our own little world. Both of us knew that it couldn't last forever, that once the morning came, trouble would come with it.

But for the moment, just for a little while, we didn't think about all that. We simply basked in each other's warmth, content.

"Hey…" Kirino whispered.

"What is it?"

"Do you promise things will be alright? Can we really be happy?"

I thought about it. That was a very large, vague request, one that didn't have an easy answer. But I had gone to extreme lengths for Kirino before, and I was prepared to do whatever it took to keep a smile on her face.

"…Yeah. I promise."

* * *

So now the way is paved for things to really get going. I'm still unsure how long it will be, but I do know one thing: This story is far from over.


	4. Determination

Hey there. First, I must apologize for how long it's been since an update. Starting a new job and moving have kept me extremely busy. Things have settled down now, and I have more time to write. I'm going to attempt to post a new chapter around once a week, probably on Tuesdays.

Anyways, this chapter finishes setting everything up. From here on the real story can begin. As always, I hope you enjoy it, and any feedback is appreciated.

* * *

When I woke up, something felt different. I couldn't quite placec it, though. Everything _seemed_ normal. It was obvious that I was in my bed, in my room, staring up at the same old ceiling. Just like any other morning.

So why did something seem…off?

Almost as if in response to my half-conscious thoughts, I heard a rustling noise to my left and felt something collide with my chest and legs simultaneously.

To be honest, it kind of scared the crap out of me. You know what I'm talking about, right? When you're only half-awake and something happens suddenly, a loud noise or someone bursts into the room, and all of a sudden your heart is beating out of control and you're wide awake? The term "rude awakening" comes to mind.

I whipped my head around in the direction the disturbance had come from.

And found Kirino's nose almost touching mine. The collision I had felt was her throwing her arm and leg over me in her sleep. I was completely confounded for a second or two.

Oh. Right.

A wave of comprehension washed over me as recalled the events of the previous night. As my sleept-addled brain went over the details as to why I was waking up with my little sister cuddled up to my side, Kirino opened her eyes slightly.

Then she noticed the proximity of our faces and she opened them quite a bit wider. I heard her inhale sharply.

Now, past experience in this type of situation has given me the conditioned response of wincing in anticipation of a swift slap to the face accompanied by the sound of "What the hell do you think you're doing, you perverted siscon?! Seriously, just die!" Now was no different. I prepared for the onslaught that was sure to come.

Except it didn't.

After a few seconds, I cautiously opened one of the eyes I had shut to brace myself and peeked at Kirino.

Surprisingly, she didn't look angry. Instead, she appeared to be wearing a bewildered expression that was probably quite similar to the one on my face just a few moments ago. Kirino blinked a few times, then did something took me completely off-guard.

She smiled.

Not just a regular, everyday smile, though. This one radiated warmth and pure happiness. It was the same smile she had when we had stood at the altar of that chapel, right before—

She kissed me.

If I was surprised before, it was probably nothing compared to the face I was making now.

"…Um…good morning," she muttered, blushing a deep shade of crimson.

Rendered speechless, all I could do was stare back at her. However, this was apparently not the reaction she had been hoping for.

"What?" she spat. "Is that how you respond to your adorable girlfriend greeting you in the morning?"

Wait, what did she just say?

"Did you…just…call yourself my girlfriend?"

Kirino frowned and looked away, feigning irritation. However, the insecurity was very apparent in her voice.

"Wh-What? Do you have a problem with that?"

"No," I replied firmly. She seemed slightly surprised at the conviction in my voice. "Not at all. But after last night, I mean…We never really talked about it. What we are."

Kirino kept her gaze away from my face.

"I guess you're right."

I waited expectantly for her to say something else, but she remained quiet, fiddling with the sheets. It seemed that I would have to be the one to break the silence.

"Well?" I asked, getting straight to the point. "What exactly are we? Are we dating again, for real this time?"

"I…guess."

What a noncommittal answer. Yeah, not good enough.

"Sorry, Kirino, but that won't do. I want to know. Are we a couple or not?"

Kirino looked up at me. I could see the hesitation and fear in her face, but also a kind of tenderness that was extremely rare for her. She looked at me for a few moments, then spoke.

"I…want to be. But you know that it's not that simple. We wouldn't be able to do things normal couples do. No one would accept us. Everyone would shun us, think we're disgusting. Even I know that having these kinds of feelings is super creepy. Seriously pursuing it is even worse. I mean, could it really, y'know…go anywhere?"

She looked at me with worried eyes. I could see her point. Siblings being in that kind of relationship was looked down upon. It was considered deviant, perverted, taboo.

But no one could tell me that the feelings I had were worthless. It didn't matter what other people thought, only what Kirino thought. And those close to us, if I'm being honest.

I sighed. "Don't you remember what I told you last night? I promised that we could be happy, and I meant it."

Kirino blinked at me a few times but didn't say anything, so I continued.

"Look, I'm not saying it will be easy. You're right, we won't be able to do a lot of things most couples do, at least not opently. But…" I hesitated, scratching the back of my head. "I don't mind dealing with that if it's for— with you."

Yeah, yeah, I know that sounded cheesy as hell. But it was honestly how I felt. I couldn't really think of a better way to put it.

She stared at me a few moments longer, then smiled and looked down.

"I knew you'd say something like that. Siscon." The last word, normally spoken in an angry tone and followed by me being physically abused in some manner, was said in a playful way. It was surprising, but not in an unpleasant way.

"Still." Kirino's face became serious all of a sudden. "We would have to keep it a secret. We wouldn't be able to tell anyone. We'd be completely, totally alon—Ow!"

I swiftly karate chopped the top of her head to cut her off before she let herself get too worked up.

"Are you an idiot? Of course we won't be alone."

"Huh?" Kirino asked, obviously confused.

She can be so dense sometimes, I swear.

"Have you completely forgotten about Kuronekoo and Saori? You know, your best friends who we trusted with everything, who accepted us before? Remember them? I'm pretty sure they would support us."

Kirino fidgeted around under the sheets.

"I'm not so sure we should tell them."

"…"

What was this idiot saying? Did she really have that little faith in her friends? Did she think that they would shun us over this? They already accepted the idea once before! What was so different about now? I mean, when we told them before, we told them as it was a legitimate, concrete thing, right? We broke the news to them like we planned on dating as any other normal relationship. We told them nothing about our promise to break it off. So what was the deal? I voiced this point to Kirino.

"Well, I mean I know that, of course," she replied, irritated. "That's…not the reason."

"Then why the hell wouldn't we tell them?" I was starting to feel a little angry with her. Leaving those two in the dark after everything they did for us just felt wrong. "They deserve to know."

"I know that!" Kirino said loudly. "But you and the Black One—" She exhaled deeply. "She's my best friend, okay? I don't want to, like, mess that up or anything."

Ah, so that's what this was about.

"So basically, you're jealous?"

 _Smack._

"Sh-shut up!"

Ow. That hurt, you know.

* * *

Kirino and I were laying on the couch, idly watching some anime she'd bought forever ago and not had a chance to watch yet. Our parents were off somewhere for the day, so we had the house to ourselves. So we were watching TV on the big screen while we had the chance, doing completely normal things any completely normal brother and sister would do.

Except for the whole cuddling part. That might be not so normal. Maybe. I'm probably not the best person to ask on what's normal what isn't.

So we were laying on the couch, snuggled up to each other. Or rather, Kirino was snuggled up to me. Her head rested on my chest, face turned towards the screen, and her arm was casually wrapped around my middle. Likewise, my own was draped across her back.

Huh. Funny how we could go from not speaking from an entire week to this kind of nonchalant intimacy. It struck me as odd, but not necessarily in a bad way. It was comfortable, and not just in the physical sense. Laying here on the couch like this with her felt easy and natural, like this is how things had always been.

You could make the argument that nothing about it was natural. And I'd tell you that I couldn't give less of a damn what you think.

I looked down at Kirino. Her eyes were glassy and unfocused, looking at the TV screen but not really seeing it. It seemed that this particular anime didn't catch her interest as others did. Smiling, I moved my hand to her head and started to lightly stroke her hair. She inhaled and held her breath for a moment, then closed her eyes and let it out with a contented sigh.

Why did I suddenly feel like I was petting a normally ornery cat? Maybe I should start calling her " _Shironeko."_

Deciding to never share this thought with her, I spoke to get her attention.

"Hey."

"Mm," she replied lazily.

"I just want to, uh...make sure. This is what you want, right? You're…happy?"

Kirino didn't react at first, then opened her eyes a bit.

"…I think so." Closing her eyes again, she continued talking. "Hmm, let me put it this way. I think you were right. About me running away, I mean. I've learned that, in the end, trying to deny myself what I want just causes more problems."

She paused, and I felt her chuckle silently.

"I don't know if you've noticed, but I kind of have a problem with not being honest with myself."

"Nooo, really?" I said, my voice dripping with playful sarcasm. It was enough to earn me a light elbow to the ribs.

"Oh, shut up," she shot back, but there was no venom in her words. "But yes, I'd say I'm happy. And chances are, I wouldn't be if not for you. In a lot of ways. So…thank you."

I felt a slight movement on my chest, and I knew she was smiling again. A blush rose in my cheeks. No matter how close we got or how much time passed, receiving gratitude from Kirino always had an effect on me. She had come a long way when it came to being honest with her feelings, but she would never completely wear her heart on her sleeve. That's just part of who she is. Because of that very nature it made the instances where she was sincere feel kind of special in a way, but at the same time frustrating. Like damn, woman, just say what you mean.

Still, I wouldn't change it for anything.

"You're welcome," I said somewhat lamely, continuing to play with her hair. It really was quite soft, and she always seemed to carry the vague scent of strawberries. I idly wondered what kind of shampoo she used. Knowing her, it was likely some expensive brand that top models used or something.

While I was sitting there letting my mind wander, I realized that she hadn't said anything else for a while. It had to have been at least a couple of minutes. Eventually, I heard her mutter something.

"Guess I really can't run anymore, huh."

I looked down at her. She was staring off into space, apparently lost in her own thoughts as much as I was in mine.

Except she was thinking about what seemed to be important matters, while I was pondering over hair products. Man, I feel like an idiot.

Shaking off my self-deprecation, I responded to her statement.

"What do you mean?"

Kirino shifted herself around, sitting on her heels across from me on the couch.

"Well..I don't know, it just feels like I've been running away from things for such a long time. Instead of facing the issue, I poured all that energy into school, or track, or work. And I mean, that's not really a bad thing, cause I bettered myself and all, but I left a lot of things unresolved. Until now, that is."

Her eyes met mine, and I saw the kind of stubborn, fierce determination that meant she was fired up about something. The type of fire that screamed _"I've made up my mind!"_

"Well, that's that. I won't put my problems aside anymore. Obviously I'm not going to stop trying my hardest at things, but I'm going to stop using them as an excuse! I've decided!" she exclaimed, clenching her fists in front of her.

I chuckled. "Well, I'm glad you're so fired up. It's almost time to meet Kuroneko and Saori."

"Eh?" Her face went blank in confusion, then realization. "Oh, right."

I thought I saw a cloud roll over her face as she remembered our arranged rendezvous with our friends.

 _Looks like we'll see just how determined she is,_ I thought, smiling to myself as I pulled her off the couch.

As Kirino and I walked toward the café in Chiba that we had agreed to meet at, I didn't see a whole lot of determination. Just a lot of Kirino staring at the ground as she walked, her hands clutching her bag.

I couldn't help but worry about her a little bit.

"Kirino. Calm down."

"I am calm, dumbass!"

After dodging the bag she swung at my head, I continued.

"Well, you don't seem too relaxed. Seriously, these are our friends. Probably the only two people we _don't_ need to worry about."

"…I know. But it's still hard to not be nervous." Kirino hung her head and pouted.

I felt a surge of affection rise up in my chest. Dammit, sometimes she was just too cute.

Wanting to do something to reassure her, I reached out and took her hand in mine.

I watched a blush creep onto Kirino's face as she turned away. She didn't let go, though. She just squeezed my hand tightly.

* * *

We had decided on a meeting spot close to home because Saori had mentioned that she planned to be out today, and would simply swing by here on the way home. Kuroneko may have moved, but still didn't live too far from us at all, so the distance for her was negligible.

Walking into the small teahouse, we spotted the pair sitting at a table in the corner almost immediately. Kirino and I had dropped each other's hands before entering, wanting to tell them on our own terms.

"Ah, Kiririn-shi, Kyousuke-shi! It hath been too long!" Saori greeted us warmly, in full otaku mode for some reason. She had warmed up to us considerably, and dressed normally on multiple occasions, but not today, apparently. If I had to guess, she had spent the day out in public, most likely in Akihabara. In that sort of situation, I could understand her adopting the persona for the day.

"Hmph. Took you long enough." Kuroneko was dressed in her standard Gothic Lolita attire, and appeared to be the same as always.

We greeted them as we took our seats. When the waitress came over, I ordered a coffee and Kirino got some kind of tea. We caught up with our two friends and exchanged some small talk, but it wasn't long before they got to the point.

"So for what reason did you call us out here?" Kuroneko asked, looking at Kirino.

"Ahh, I too wonder at the reasoning behind my summons!" Saori exclaimed gleefully, leaning in.

I looked to Kirino. She was fidgeting around in her seat, nervously stirring the spoon around in her tea.

"Well…that's…" Kirino began, clearly letting her nerves get to her. She looked to me, possibly for confirmation or reassurance. I smiled and nodded at her. It felt like the natural thing to do.

Kirino took a deep breath, settled herself, and continued.

"There's something I…we need to tell you."

"Oh?" Saori said, her interest piqued. Kuroneko said nothing; she merely sipped her tea and waited for Kirino to keep talking.

"Well…I'm not really sure how to put it, but…"

Come on, Kirino. Don't tell me all that talk about determination and facing your problems was just you blowing smoke.

"Kyousuke and I have decided to be together. Again."

Well, shit. She just came out and said it. I'm kind of proud of her.

The reaction wasn't immediate. There was a short silence, and then—

"I see."

Kuroneko spoke softly, maintain her composure. She closed her eyes and took another sip of tea, but otherwise showed no immediate reaction.

Saori wasn't quite so composed.

"….Whaaaaat? Seriously?! But what about what you told us? The promise you two made?"

She had completely dropped the otaku persona. She had reeled back, her glasses slipping down her nose, revealing part of her eyes.

Not wanting Kirino to do all the talking, I decided to chime in.

"Well, that's partly my fault."

Saori turned her gaze to me.

"How do you mean?"

"Kyousuke used that wish he won from acing his exams to get me to break our promise." Kirino looked at me. "I think he knew that I wouldn't be happy otherwise. Deep down, I think I knew that too. Maybe I just didn't want to admit it."

"But…won't this cause problems? Like it did before?" Saori's voice was full of genuine concern. She seemed to be less worried about the fact that we were siblings, and more about the troubles we would go through.

"We're going to be keeping it a secret from as many people as possible," I said, trying to ease her concern. "As far as I'm concerned, you two are the only ones that need to, and deserve, to know. We owe you that, and we trust you."

I meant every word that I said. I really can't express just how much the friendship of these two as meant to me over the past couple of years, and I'm sure it's meant a lot to Kirino as well.

Saori put her hand to her chin, thinking.

"Well, I don't have a problem with it in that case, I suppose. When you two first told me about your feelings for each other back in December, I must admit, it was difficult to accept at first. But over time, I grew accustomed to the idea."

Saori took her glasses off and laid them on the table, looking up to smile at us. It seemed the _ojou-sama_ in her was coming out.

"Both of you are my dear friends. I have no intention of that changing. I do still find it somewhat strange, but of course I will support the two of you."

"Saori…"

I couldn't help but be moved by Saori's words. They only heightened the amount of respect I held for her.

One person had stayed silent, though. All eyes now turned to Kuroneko, who sat there with her eyes closed, continuing to sip.

"Is this…okay?"

Kirino asked in an unsure, worried voice. As much as they fought, I knew that Kuroneko's opinion actually mattered a great deal to Kirino, and vice-versa.

"I don't know why you're asking. Your love life is of no concern to me."

We all jumped as Kirino brought her fist down on the table, making the cups clatter around.

"Don't give me that line of crap! I want a straight answer from you this time! I know how you feel about him, or at least used to. I just don't want there to be any problems down the line, so if there's anything you have to say about it, say it now!" Kirino was standing up, a fierce look in her eye. When she got like this, it was easy to tell that whatever she was talking about was extremely important to her.

I couldn't help but admire that part of Kirino.

Kuroneko sat in her chair, her eyes wide and mouth slightly open in surprise at Kirino's outburst. It seemed Kirino wasn't quite finished talking yet, however.

"Look, I don't want this to come between us or anything, okay? You're…one of my best friends. I don't want to hurt you, but I…I can't help how I feel. I need to know that you're okay with this, or that you at least won't stop talking to us or something. Please."

Kirino's expression turned pleading as she made her case to Kuroneko, who was still sitting there in shock. After a few seconds she regained her composure, save for a slight blush.

"You idiot."

"H-huh?"

Now it was Kirino's turn to be surprised.

"I expected something like this to happen. Did you honestly think I believed you could go through everything you did, then just call it quits?"

Kuroneko clicked her tongue.

"This is how I expected things to turn out. It's what I planned for. And frankly, I'm insulted that you think so little of me to believe I would cut myself off over something as silly as this."

Kuroneko grinned evilly, then leaned in towards Kirino.

"Want to know a secret? I knew you were an irredeemable brocon from the beginning."

Kirino's face went beet red.

"You…!"

* * *

After breaking up the catfight, Kirino and I bid our farewells to Kuroneko and Saori, and started heading home. It was getting fairly late in the evening, but our parents shouldn't be home for another few hours.

We had been walking hand in hand silently, and turned onto the road leading to our house. I spoke up.

"I think that went pretty well. I knew there was nothing to worry about."

"Yeah, yeah, I know."

Kirino replied in a mocking tone, but she was smiling.

"Still…thanks for being there. It really helped."

"Y-You don't say?" I said.

I sort of knew it anyways, but it's still embarrassing to hear her say that kind of stuff out loud.

"Yeah," Kirino continued as we turned into the gate of our home. "But hey. You've done a lot for me, and I kind of feel like I haven't done enough for you."

"Jeez, look, I know you said you were going to be more straightforward, but you're laying it on kind of thick. It's kind of a shock to the system."

Kirino delivered a swift kick to my shin right as I opened the front door.

"Ow! Hey, dammit!"

"I wasn't done talking."

I grimaced at her and moved into the entryway, removing my shoes. I turned and looked at Kirino expectantly.

"Well? Spit it out."

Kirino frowned at me, then her expression softened again as she stood on her toes to put her mouth next to me ear.

"I want to show how much I appreciate you being there for me," she whispered, her breath tickling my earlobe. "Come to my room later tonight. I have a surprise for you."

Kirino pulled back and grinned at me before bounding up the stairs giggling.

Wait…what?


	5. A Loose Lock

Alrighty, I'm back in the saddle. I apologize both for the amount of time it took to get this out and for the short length, but I do think about this story and where I want it to go quite a bit, and it's still a long ways off from being finished. Life has kept me extremely busy lately, but I've found myself with some time, and wanted to sit down and write. Anyways, as always, I hope you enjoy it, and any and all feedback is appreciated.

* * *

Well, here I was. Sitting on my bed, my mind reeling. Seems like I've been doing this quite a bit lately. Although this time around, it was for a completely different reason.

In case anyone's forgotten, around two hours ago Kirino told me to come to her room later tonight, as she had a surprise for me. So, of course, I've spent these past two hours racking my brain for what it could possibly be. You can probably relate, right? When someone tells you they have something for you, but won't tell you what it is? It just makes you even more curious, and before you know it, the sheer number of possibilities are all you can think about.

Well, it's not like I no clue whatsoever.

Speaking from experience, the possibility of this "surprise" being some type of eroge, game or anime were very real. Not that I wouldn't appreciate something along those lines, but… That's definitely more of her thing, not mine.

Could it be something sentimental? She would never admit it, but the fact that she kept those earrings I bought her didn't escape my notice. Kirino had a surprising taste for that sort of thing.

And, of course, there was the possibility of…that. If you catch my drift.

But it's not like I was thinking about that, or hoping for it or anything! Seriously!

Ugh, I really need to stop. This sort of overthinking hasn't done me any favors in the past, and there's no reason that it would now. I've known Kirino long enough to understand that in a lot of ways, I was just along for the ride. I mean, come on. For the past few years I've essentially been at the beck and call of my little sister's whims. She needed something done, I did it. She needed support, I gave it.

Not that she hadn't helped and supported me, as well.

Anyway, I tried to study. I really did. Thought it would, I don't know, take my mind of things. Stop me from overthinking. But all I ended up doing was staring at the pages of my textbook, wiggling my pencil and, well…overthinking.

Eventually, though, I heard my parents shut the door to their room and go to bed. And just like the last time I spent forever sitting in my room overanalyzing things, I waited twenty minutes or so before quietly opening my door and making my way down the hall to Kirino's bedroom door.

I knocked twice softly. Almost immediately afterwards I heard the sound of Kirino's hushed yet frantic voice.

"D-Don't come in yet!"

What was she saying? When had I ever entered her room without her opening the door for me first?

Well, there was that one time after Kuroneko broke up with me. But that was different!

After about half a minute, the door creaked open. I could just make out Kirino's eye through the crack.

"Okay. You can come in now."

I couldn't stop my heart from racing as she opened the door. I honestly had no idea what she had waiting for me beyond it.

As I stepped into the room, I noticed three things.

One, there was nothing sitting in the middle of the room like a box or anything. Part of me was expecting something like that.

Two, Kirino had a blanket draped over her shoulders, covering her upper body.

Three, Kirino's very long, very bare legs.

Hold on a minute…

I looked at Kirino. She stood in the middle of the room, her eyes looking anywhere but at me. Her face was deep crimson, and she wore a look of obvious embarrassment.

Wait, was she wearing anything under that blanket?!

I felt my heartrate skyrocket from a mixture of excitement and anxiety. Just what was she planning?

"W-What are you looking at? Stop staring at me!" Kirino said, furrowing her brow.

Ah, classic Kirino. Anytime she was embarrassed, she got like this. Ended up just lashing out at everything like a nervous cat.

Somehow, seeing her so nervous calmed my nerves a bit. I took a deep breath and spoke.

"Well, uh…what's with the blanket?" I asked.

"None of your business!"

I couldn't help but laugh a little at her automatic retort.

"Something tells me that it kind of is," I said, smiling at her. "Hold on a second. Are you wearing anything under that?!"

"Just sh-shut up and sit down! And close your eyes!"

Uh oh. I had a bad feeling about this.

Regardless, I obeyed, seating myself at the edge of her bed and holding my hands over my face.

"Okay just…stay there."

Kirino sounded nervous. On one hand, this only served to heighten my own apprehension, but also had a strangely calming effect. So I kept silent and waited, and eventually—

"O-Okay. You can look now."

I hesitantly opened my eyes.

"Wha—"

I…honestly didn't know what to say. Kirino stood a few feet in front of me, blushing furiously. The only article of clothing she appeared to be wearing was a white collared shirt much too big for her, buttoned up to her sternum.

That and a pair of pink oval rimmed glasses.

"Well? Say something!"

As usual, Kirino took her obvious embarrassment and converted into irritation.

But to be honest, I didn't really know what to say. Don't get me wrong, she was extremely cute, but…

"Why glasses?" I asked.

"Huh? What are you saying? You like this kind of thing!"

Oh. _Oh._

She's talking about those magazines. But I don't have a glasses fetish! Really, I don't! Only some of those magazines under my bed are—

Actually, wait, no. They're pretty much all glasses related.

Okay, fine. Maybe I did have a _slight_ preference for girls with glasses.

"…O-Okay, maybe I do," I admitted. "But that still doesn't explain the shirt. Hey, wait a minute, is that _my_ shirt?"

Kirino grinned cheekily.

"Who knows? Maybe."

This girl, I swear. I grit my teeth in frustration.

"Look, you. You can't just be sneaking into people's rooms and taking their clothes!"

Kirino's grin quickly turned into a frown.

"What are you complaining for? I did this for you!"

Her cheeks reddened a little more at that last statement. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't pretty adorable.

I sighed, resigned.

"Alright, I understand."

There really was no point in arguing with her, especially when it was so obvious that she was trying to make me happy in her own weird, Kirino-ish way.

While I was contemplating her strange form of appreciation, she spoke up.

"Um…so…"

"Hm?"

"Well…what do you think?"

What did I think? Her hilariously transparent attempt to make me happy did flatter me, I'll admit. The way she went about it was slightly stressful and made me prone to over thinking things. But if I was being honest…

"I think it's the most adorable thing I've ever seen."

"Wh—"

Wow. I don't think I've ever seen Kirino's face quite that red before. I'm impressed.

I was expecting Kirino's usual embarrassment-to-anger reaction, but she surprised me yet again. Her head dropped down and she looked up at me over the top of the pink glasses.

"…Really?" Her voice was probing and just a tad disbelieving.

"Really."

"You mean it?"

I couldn't help but smile and sigh. She was so headstrong yet so insecure at the same time. The contrast between the two was pretty damn endearing, at least to me.

I put my hand on top of her head.

"Of course. I make a point to always be honest with you, for better or worse."

"Hm. I know."

Kirino kept looking at me from under my hand. She had a look on her face that made it seem like she was trying to reach a decision about something. A few seconds passed.

The next thing I knew, I'd been pushed back onto the bed. Kirino had practically headbutted me burying her face in my chest, and her arms were wrapped around me, the weight of her body pressing down on me.

"Oof! Kirin—"

"I love you."

…Huh?

"I love you. I love you. I-love-you-I-love-you-I-love-you-I-love-you-I-love-you."

Kirino fired off her declaration at high speed.

"Where's this coming from?" I couldn't help but ask.

"I know that I have trouble being honest with myself. I know that. And I know that you always try to tell me what you really think, even if it's embarrassing or inconvenient. I can't help but admire that about you."

Kirino looked up, her eyes boring into mine, a hint of moisture in them.

"So I wanted to try being honest with you, for once."

I couldn't help but be moved. I knew better than anyone that being open about how she really felt was not something that came easily to Kirino. It simply wasn't in her personality. She was stubborn to a fault and fiercely passionate, throwing herself into the things she cared about with reckless abandon. But that drive led to a habit that proved self-destructive over time.

Kirino would give give herself limits. For example, when she went to America she refused to talk to any of her friends or play eroge until she could beat someone in a race. It led to her being depressed to the point of becoming physically ill.

After that, there was our "limited time lovers" promise. The one I decided to break, because I was confident that it wasn't what she really wanted. I did it for the same reason I flew to America to bring her back. I knew she was hurting, and I hated seeing her like that. So I decided to do something about it.

Okay, fine. I did those things partly for selfish reasons, too. But that's beside the point.

What I'm trying to say is that Kirino has matured quite a bit in the past few years. She was still abrasive, ornery, and brash, but lately a kinder, gentler side of her has been quite prominent. Not just with me either, but Kuroneko as—

"Mmph!"

My train of thought was abruptly derailed by Kirino forcefully pressing her lips against mine. We've kissed in the past, but this felt different. It was passionate, yes, but something was off. There was an almost unsettling sense of urgency in the way she moved her mouth against mine. Almost like she was trying not to think about it too hard.

I responded, though, slipping one arm around her waist to pull her close, running the other through her hair. Kirino started writhing around and letting out small moans, causing her tongue to vibrate. It was a rather unique sensation.

Now, I'd be lying if I said that every one of my senses being filled with nothing but her wasn't extremely intoxicating and enjoyable, and the glasses and shirt made it even worse. But something felt just wrong enough about this that I was able to maintain my wits.

Firmly, but gently, I put my hands on Kirino's shoulders and pushed her off. She ended up in a sitting position across from me on the bed, a look of confusion and hurt on her face.

"Kirino…"

"What? What is it?"

I honestly didn't know how to put it in words. I sat there staring at her, my mouth hanging open like an idiot, wracking my brain for the words that refused to come. Kirino stared right back at me. I could see quite a few emotions in her eyes. Embarassment, irritation, confusion, worry. Suddenly her eyes dropped, breaking our little staring contest.

"I'm not good enough."

Her voice was soft, but her words pierced my heart like a bullet.

"You've decided that you made a mistake choosing me."

Wait, what? Is that the cause for the palpable unease radiating off of her just a minute ago?

"You've realized that it's impossible."

Every syllable was a blow to my chest. I had to say something, how she was wrong, so wrong. I fervently willed my suddenly dry mouth to form words, but nothing came out.

"That nothing could ever come of it. That we're disgusting, that we need help. That we should be separated."

No. No, no, no, no, no.

"That…that we should just end it here and—"

" _No!"_

Kirino's eyes shot up to my face at my outburst, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"No. No, Kirino. Stop."

I took a deep breath, finally managing to find my voice.

Good job, brain. Right when I need you most, you lag behind.

"That's not it at all, Kirino. Listen to me."

I placed one of my hands on her shoulder, using the other to wipe the tears off of her face.

"I don't know where that came from, but you're not even close."

Kirino said nothing. She merely looked at me with wet eyes, obviously distressed.

Dammit. I really don't know if there's anything I hate more than seeing her like this.

"Look at me, Kirino."

I took her face in my hands, making sure she held my gaze.

"I love you. Okay? Whatever you're thinking, whatever insecurities you may have, that fact will not change. Think about it. If I wasn't sure of it, then why would I have turned down the others? Why would I have stood with you through that ordeal with Manami?"

Kirino sniffled a bit, and her expression brightened just a smidgeon.

"Alright, I'm okay with that, I guess. But you do think I'm attractive?"

"Of course."

"You love me…as a girl?"

"Yes."

"Not just as your sister?"

"No."

"That….that's…"

She reached up and cradled one of my hands in both of her own. All of a sudden she flashed me an incredibly bright smile, the kind that made my heart flutter.

"That's totally gross."

I grinned back at her. That kind of sass meant that she was back to her usual self. Crisis over.

Well, almost over. There was still something that needed to be set straight.

"You don't have to do that, Kirino."

She tiled her head quizzically at me.

"Do what?"

"You know, that. What you just did."

Come on, you know what I'm talking about. It's still kind of embarrassing to directly say it, though.

A look of comprehension settled itself on her face. I continued.

"I recognize that our situation is rather, uh, unique. But that's no reason to feel insecure about it. I've made my choice. This is what I want."

I took her hand.

"I want _you._ "

Kirino's eyes grew wide for a split second then narrowed, glistening with emotion yet again.

"So then why did you stop me?"

I squeezed her hand. I needed to make myself absolutely clear here.

"Because I could tell something was bothering you. It just didn't feel right. You seemed kind of…I don't know, like you were forcing yourself. I don't want to rush things, Kirino. Even if what we're doing is wrong, I want to at least do it the right way."

Hey, I think I sounded kind of cool there, don't you think?

"…Okay.

Kirino seemed uncomfortable. She began fidgeting around restlessly.

"What about…Christmas Eve? That night in the hotel?"

Ah, shit. She does have a point there. That's kind of a line we've already crossed.

"I think that both of our emotions were running high that night. It just kind of happened."

Honestly, that's the most accurate way I can think to put it. Christmas Eve wasn't exactly filled with logic and reasoning.

Kirino took my hand and set it in her lap. She began playing with my fingers.

"…Do you regret it?"

Well, that's a loaded question if I've ever heard one. Still, nothing but a straight answer will do.

"If I'm being honest, no. I don't. We may not have thought it through, but I don't think it's a bad thing. Do you regret it at all?"

Kirino smiled slightly and shook her head.

"No. Because it was with you."

I blushed furiously, looking away in embarrassment.

Is she trying to kill me?

"A-Anyway."

I think a change of topic was in order.

I laid my hand on top of her head.

"So do you feel better now?"

She nodded under my palm.

"Yeah. But…"

I sighed. There's always a "but."

"I want to do something with you."

"Kirino, I thought we agreed to take it sl—"

"Not that kind of thing, dammit!"

She huffed at me, then continued.

"I meant like a date."

"A date?"

"Yes, idiot, a date! Okay, well, more of a small trip. Like a super date!"

Kirino grinned at me with sudden child-like excitement.

I had a bad feeling about this. Speaking from past experience, Kirino had a very specific idea in her head as to what a date should be like, and got upset if things didn't live up to her expectations. A few hours was one thing, but a trip would likely be around a few days filled with assumptions on how things should go.

Oh, crap.

I felt like I really didn't have any choice but to acquiesce to her wishes, though.

"Uh, okay, and I'm assuming you want me to pick where we go?"

At that, Kirino flashed a toothy, mischievous grin that I had learned foretold a lot of headache in my future.

"Actually, I have just the place in mind. If I pick it out, then I know it'll be good!"

Ignoring the casual slight to my date location choosing ability, and knowing that she wanted me to anyway, I went ahead and asked.

"Okay, so what Is this place you want to go on a 'super date' to?"

Kirino's impish smirk grew wider.

"Remember that one hot springs town where we found the Black One?"


	6. Two Hearts Part I

Hey there. Once again, I apologize for the long gap between updates, but I really am doing the best I can to find time to write.

I've gotten a few messages asking if I had dropped the story. I appreciate that, as it gives me extra motivation to write, but rest easy. I know the time between updates has been fairly long, but I'd rather spend time thinking about where I want things to go and writing a good story than churning out filler. So I hope you'll bear with me. As always, feedback is always appreciated, and I hope you enjoy it.

* * *

I stared out the window of the train, watching a blue-green mesh made up of trees and sky whizz past. We've only been on the train around a half an hour, but it was already difficult to not drift into a daydream. Two days ago, Kirino had said that she wanted to go on a little trip. So, she made reservations, we packed our things, told our parents we were going to a multi-night sleepover party at Saori's, and set out for hot springs town that would be the site for our "Super Date."

It was all done rather suddenly. Maybe it was because we subconsciously knew that once we got back, various obligations would be staring us in the face: high school for Kirino, college for me.

Speaking of which, I still hadn't quite decided which college I wanted to go to, or even what I wanted to study. A few things had bounced around in my head, though: engineering, teaching, the standard stuff someone who doesn't really know what they want to do with their life would say.

Well, I suppose there was one thing that stood out somewhat. I _had_ enjoyed playing manager for Kanako in the past. Maybe I would look into business or something along those lines.

Oh, well. I understand that it's dangerous to think this way, but I have some time to decide.

I looked over at Kirino. She was staring off into space in much the same way I had been just a moment ago. Can't blame her. We still had an hour and a half left on this train. That said, apparently we were staying for two nights so I guess the long ride would be worth it.

Exactly why Kirino wanted to go on this little trip still escaped me. Some reasons were fairly obvious, such as wanting to spend time alone or enjoying the small bit of time before school starts. Still, I couldn't shake the feeling that she had some kind of ulterior motive. Even more troubling was that I also felt I had an idea as to what that motive was.

I suppose there's no reason worrying about things I wasn't sure about, either way. I should just enjoy my free time with Kirino while I was still (for the most part) worry free.

Looking down, I realized that my fingers were entwined with hers, and that they had been for some time. I gave her palm a light squeeze. The action seemed to rouse Kirino from her stupor. She turned towards me, eyebrows raised, met by a grin from me. Seeing this, she simply squeezed back and gave me a smile of her own.

Funny. I don't know if I'll ever be able to fully wrap my head around just how close we've become.

That said, it wasn't like I was exactly complaining. Sure, we still had our little fights and teased each other regularly, but we had reached a point where we understood each other. Mostly.

Sometimes there was just no understanding that girl, no matter how hard I tried. Although something gave me the sneaking suspicion that she felt that way about me at times as well. Maybe that's just how relationships work, who knows. Maybe I'll find out.

Having gained her attention, I decided to speak up.

"So, Kirino, are you excited to start school?"

She shrugged.

"I guess. I don't think a whole lot will change, honestly. Staying at the head of the class shouldn't be a problem. I'll join the track team too, of course."

Something about the way she said this gave off an air of arrogance, like she already expected to be the best on the team. I think some teasing was in order.

"You know, I'm kind of surprised how confident you are after your trip to America."

She narrowed her eyes at me, knowing she was being poked fun at.

"Oh, shut up. I have a better handle on things now."

Kirino looked down at our interlocked fingers, and I felt her squeeze my hand again.

"I know who I am now."

Wow. That got deep pretty quick.

"Hey now, you don't have to get all serious on me. I was just giving you a hard time."

I poked her lightly on the shoulder.

"Still, I know what you mean. I think you're right," I said, flashing her a smile.

"Hmph. Of course I am."

Now, if it's one thing I've learned about relationships, it's that the woman is always right. In Kirino's case, that was most definitely true.

If I wanted to avoid pointless arguments, that is.

"What about you?"

"Hm? What about me?"

Kirino rolled her eyes.

"School, duh. Have you figured out what you're doing yet?"

"Oh, that."

I had been thinking about it, actually. I knew that I wanted to go to a local college. I talked it over with my parents a few months ago, and they had agreed to let me continue living at home while I went to school. For Mom it was probably because she didn't want me to go off too far. Dad probably just viewed it as fiscal responsibility.

Of course, I had my own reasons for wanting to stay close. Somewhere down the line I wouldn't mind getting my own apartment, though.

"Hmm. Well, I know I'm going to a local college."

"Okay, and?"

"Uh…what do you mean?"

"When are you going? What are you going to study? What do you want to do? Have you figured out what classes you're going to take? Well?"

I blinked at Kirino, taken aback by her sudden barrage of questions.

"Well—"

"You have to think about these things."

Kirino waved her finger at me.

"Otherwise you won't get very far. Can you seriously not answer any of that?"

"Hey now. It's not like I haven't thought about it at all. I'm just working out the details."

"I don't believe you. Do you have even the faintest idea of what you want to do after college? You know, for work? A career?"

Hmm. Well, I did have one idea.

"Maybe I'll study business and become your manager. I mean, you _are_ a model."

"Wh—"

Kirino stared at me blankly, her eyes wide in surprise.

Then she hit me.

"Ow! What was that for?!"

"Shut up. Don't worry about it."

I grinned.

"Oh, so the idea of that made you happy and you hit me to cover up your embarrassment, right?"

" _I said_ _ **shut up!"**_

"Ow!"

When we arrived, I decided to do the gentlemanly thing and carry Kirino's bags for her.

Which I immediately regretting once I realized that it was a one and a half kilometer walk to the hot springs inn.

Still, complaining was pointless. I said I was going to do it, so I was going to do it, dammit!

Even when Kirino piped up a few times with a "Hey, you really don't have to" or "I can tell you're tired, idiot, let me take them!" I wholeheartedly refused.

If anything, it was worth it to see the blush on her cheeks and embarrassed yet happy expression.

Eventually, we made it to the inn. A kind-looking elderly woman was sitting behind the front desk, and greeted us with a warm smile.

"Checking in, dears?"

Kirino answered before I could so much as think about opening my mouth.

"Yes, the reservation should be under 'Kousaka.'"

"Ah, here we are. Two nights and a reservation for a private onsen, correct?"

"That's correct."

I was impressed at how formal and business-like Kirino was in interactions like this. She really was mature beyond her—

Wait a second, what was that about a private hot spring?

Giving the two of us a sly look, the receptionist handed over the keys to our room. Kirino took them, smiling at the woman.

"Thank you very much."

"You two enjoy your stay, now."

Why did something about her tone make me feel like blushing?

Laden down by the heavy luggage, it took considerable effort to catch up to Kirino walking down the hall.

"Oi, what was that about a private onsen I just heard?"

Kirino looked at me blankly.

"Hah? What are you talking about? Of course I reserved one."

This girl…she said it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"What do you mean of course you did? Isn't that super expensive? And for couples that…"

I trailed off, not really sure where I was going with that sentence. Or maybe it was going somewhere I didn't really want to say out loud.

Kirino frowned, but there was a tinge of red in her cheeks.

"Are you an idiot? We're on a date, remember? A super date."

"What in the hell is a super date?!"

"This! Now stop complaining and take my bags in!"

I grit my teeth and bit my tongue. She was so irritating! But at the same time, our interactions like this had taken on a different feel since when we first started talking again. It was almost like we seemed angry on the surface, but were really just playing around. This was something that both us seemed to understand.

Not that we didn't get annoyed with each other, or anything.

Regardless, I found myself dragging her bags (which, I might add, were much too numerous, and heavy, for a two night stay) into the room.

Dropping them just inside the door, I took a look around. The room was quite large, with a surprisingly high ceiling and light khaki colored walls. A small desk and chair sat in the corner, with a low dresser against the right-hand wall. The most interesting thing, though, was that the room had what appeared to be a king-size Western style bed in the middle of the room, flanked by two wooden nightstands.

"What kind of hot springs resort has Western style rooms?"

I couldn't help but voice the question aloud. Kirino scoffed and answered.

"This one, duh. Sometimes Westerners come and want to stay at places like this, but want to feel at home. So some inns have started offering rooms like this. I got a super awesome good deal on it."

She grinned at me, seemingly proud of her bargain finding skills. I couldn't necessarily blame her, as both of our rooms at home were Western style. She probably assumed I'd be fine with it.

There was one detail that caught my eye, though.

"There's only one bed."

Oh, look. She's beet red again.

"Well…yeah? Why would we need two?"

H-Hm. I guess she has a point. But it's still somewhat embarrassing.

Once we were finished getting our bags put away and ourselves settled in, I asked Kirino what she wanted to do for the rest of the day. After all, it was only around five in the evening.

"I'm hungry. Let's go walk around a bit and find someplace to eat."

Not waiting for my answer, she picked up her shoulder bag and headed for the door. Sighing, I couldn't do anything but follow.

I have a question. Do all women seem to subconsciously pick the most expensive thing on the menu to order, or is that just Kirino? Or is it just because I told her I'd pay?

Either way, as we left the quaint little eatery with my wallet feeling depressingly light, Kirino drew closer to me and linked her arm through mine. Both of us were still far from experienced at romantic gestures and the like, but it felt a hell of a lot more comfortable than the time I pretended to be her boyfriend.

It was especially nice because we were far from home, where there was a risk of someone recognizing us. Here we just looked like any other couple, strolling down the street. Well, maybe apart from the occasional jealous glance thrown my way by other guys.

Kirino was a model, after all.

I looked over at her, a smile on my face, ready to bask in satisfaction upon seeing her warm smile back at me.

Only to hear her shriek while staring at her phone.

" _AHHHH!_ Seriously?! That's so much bonus content! Oooooh I can't _wait_!"

Was she really doing this? Here? Now?

I poked her shoulder with my free arm.

"Oi, what are you doing?"

Kirino beamed up at me, excitement plastered all over her face.

"They just announced the new OniPan! It comes with so much extra stuff and…what? You got a problem?"

It was almost impressive how quickly she could switch from excited to irritated. Almost.

"Well, I mean, do you really have to do that _now_? Aren't we on a date?"

"Um…yeah? So?"

"Weren't you the one that was going on about this 'super date?' Don't you want to do, I dunno, date things?"

Kirino tilted her head slightly at me, confused.

"We went out to eat, didn't we?"

"Well, yeah, but—"

She wiggled her arm around in mine.

"We're touching."

Can you not say that in a way that makes it seem like something completely obvious? It's like you think I'm stupid or something.

"Are you stupid or something?"

Oh for crying out loud.

She didn't give me time to retort and continued.

"We are doing date things. Is there a rule against doing 'me' things during dates?"

"Well, I suppose not, but still. It's not very romantic."

Kirino clicked her tongue.

"You're the guy. It's your job to make it romantic."

I blinked at her incredulously. Judging by her next words, she must have taken this as me not knowing what to do.

"Ugh, you're useless. This is why I looked up things to do beforehand."

She reached into her bag and pulled out a colorful leaflet.

"There's a fireworks display going on tonight. We're going."

"Fireworks? Why?"

Kirino shrugged.

"Some local thing. It doesn't really matter."

This girl…in light of recent events, part of me expected to see a change of attitude from her. Obviously I couldn't have been more wrong. All I could do was sigh.

"Okay then, where are the fireworks? When do they start?"

Kirino pointed at a hill in some kind of park near the end of the street.

"Over there, in about ten minutes. Where did you think we were going?"

We made our way to the grassy hill, weaving through the small gaggles of people that grew more numerous as we went. Kirino seemed determined to get the best possible spot, and ended up spending the last few minutes before the fireworks started finding one. At this point, the sun had just set. The last tinges of orange and red clung to the horizon, barely visible through the trees on the other side of the park.

Kirino and I stood next to each other. We weren't talking, but she wasn't fiddling with her phone, either. If anything, she looked sort of tense for some reason.

"I'm surprised they haven't star—"

I was interrupted by a large _boom_ and a flash of colorful light from above.

Wow. I couldn't help but be impressed. For a small hot springs town, the amount of pyrotechnic explosions that filled the night sky was nothing to sneeze at.

I couldn't help looking over at Kirino, though. It might sound cheesy, but the way the colors danced off of her face, how they twinkled and sparkled in her eye…I couldn't call it anything other than beautiful.

The romance of the moment was not lost on me. Reaching over, I took Kirino's hand and wove her fingers through mine. It made me happy how easy and natural it felt. Even if the argument could be made that nothing about our relationship was either of those things.

Looking back up at the fireworks, I was forcibly reminded of another time I went and saw fireworks on a date. A tinge of sadness touched my heart for a moment. Regret might not be the right word for it. More of just a bittersweet sadness.

I still cared greatly about Ruri. That much was undisputable. She was an adorable kouhai, and without doubt one of the closest people to me. The two or so weeks we dated gave me some of the happiest memories I've had so far.

But…

Things were different now. Through an extremely insane turn of events, the person now standing beside me watching fireworks, holding my hand, was my little sister Kirino. Even I could appreciate how bizarre and irrational it was.

Still, something inside me said that things couldn't have turned out any other way. It almost felt like there was a red string of fate attached to my finger, and at the other end of it was Kirino. Society looks down on us. The world at large would view our relationship as taboo, unnatural, and disgusting. Going forward, things won't be easy. We'll run into problems, both between ourselves and from external factors.

I knew better than anyone just how important Kirino's friends were to her. Kuroneko and Saori might be one thing, but Ayase and the others might not accept the idea of our relationship quite so willingly. In fact, if Ayase ever found out I think my life would probably be in danger.

However, even considering all of these potential issues, some of which we were bound to face, it was impossible not to be elated. I was able to be with the one I loved.

You hear people complain about their lives, how they wish that they "could just be happy." Well, here's the thing.

Happiness comes at a price. Often a rather steep one. And for us, that was a price I was more than willing to pay, and I was starting to feel that Kirino felt something similar. She knew that plenty of trials were ahead of us, and was willing to face them with me.

Besides, I'd promised her that we truly could be happy.

For now, I was content. We were in a place where those troubles weren't able to find us. I was starting to see why Kirino had wanted to go on this little trip so badly: to escape for a while, to not think about everything to come, to simply be together for a while.

I looked over at her again, the lights still dancing across her face as the display went on. This time, our eyes met, and she turned her face towards me. Our gaze held, seeming to convey thoughts and feelings that couldn't be said with words. I could never pretend to be aware everything that she was thinking, but her eyes told me all I needed to know.

At the same moment, our eyes closed, our hearts connected, our lips drew together, and we kissed under a night sky lit up with every imaginable color.

For the moment, I don't think either of us had a care in the world.


	7. Two Hearts Part II

Hey guys. This one gave me a little trouble, but I hope it turned out alright. I'm trying to work on making chapters a bit longer, but I still feel they end up being a tad shorter than I want. Anyway, expect to see more of Kuroneko and the others in upcoming stuff. As always, any feedback is appreciated and I hope you enjoy.

* * *

I have to admit, walking down the street under the warm glow of this town's streetlights was rather relaxing. The weather was fairly warm, but there was still a pleasant coolness to the breeze that ruffled my hair. As Kirino and I made our way back to the inn, I noticed that she wasn't being particularly talkative. At first I thought it was simply because she was tired, but numerous furtive glances at her face told me that she was feeling anxious for som reason.

Hm. I really do pay quite a bit of attention to her nowadays, don't I? Maybe I just couldn't help it. I mean, after all, she was officially my girlfriend now, if only to ourselves and select few.

Regardless, I decided not saying about it wouldn't sit quite right with me.

"Hey."

"Huh? What is it?"

Kirino looked up at me suddenly, and I was able to see her face directly and pinpoint the emotion it most prominently showed: worry.

"What's up? Seems like something's bothering you. Did you not like the fireworks or something?"

Kirino shook her head.

"No, nothing like that. I was just…um…thinking. Don't worry about it."

She seemed to try and throw a little attitude into that last statement, but it ended up coming out half-hearted and weak sounding. I looked her over appraisingly, but decided to drop the issue for now. I figured (or maybe just hoped) that she would tell me soon enough.

She remained more or less quiet for the rest of the walk back, save for giving one word answers to my feeble attempts to start a conversation. Before long, we reached the inn and headed to our room, where Kirino promptly proceeded to become even more awkward.

"Um, hey."

I paused while taking off my shoes, looking over to her standing in the entryway.

"Yeah?"

"We, um…well, we have that private onsen reserved. It'd be a waste not to use it, right?"

Damn, I had totally forgotten about that. All of a sudden the reason for her nervousness became clear. She had reserved that hot spring, and had probably been thinking about it the entire walk back, assuming that we'd be using it. And I, being the idiot that I am, had completely forgotten about it.

Kirino and I. In a private bath. Naked. Completely alone.

…H-Huh.

Okay, yeah, now I'm self-conscious as all hell. Great.

I could feel myself blushing as I answered her.

"R-Right. So…um…"

"You, um, you go in first. I'll meet you in there."

"A-Alright. Wait, where is it?"

"Down the hall on the right. There should be a sign with our names on it saying it's reserved."

"Right."

I was secretly grateful to Kirino for taking the lead on this one, despite how obviously embarrassed she was.

Retreating to the bathroom, I undressed and grabbed a towel, then went back into the room. Kirino was sitting on the bed, facing away from me. My heart skipped a beat when I saw that she was also out of her clothes, hugging the towel wrapped around her body. I spoke to her back.

"I'll, uh…see you in there."

Kirino said nothing in response, but I saw her head jerk forward in what I assumed was supposed to be a nod of understanding. If I didn't know better, it seemed like she was trying to psych herself up for this.

Well, overthinking things isn't going to get me anywhere. I turned around and headed out and down the hall. The door to the private bath was easy enough to find, considering there was a sign on the door reading "Reserved for the Kousaka Party."

Walking into the bath, I couldn't help but let out a soft "Wow."

It wasn't large, but didn't need to be. Six people could probably fit in it comfortably with room to spare. Save for a low wooden railing, the far side of the room was completely open, offering a fantastic view of the wooded area behind the inn. The slightly chilly night air mixed with the heat of the water, producing a spectacular amount of steam rising off the surface. Lanterns lit the area, the soft glow of the flames dancing off the walls. It seemed like the perfect place to relax and forget all of your troubles.

Taking the towel off from around my waist, I quickly washed myself, then eased into the bath, letting out a contented sigh as the warm water washed over me. Wading over to the far side, I sat myself down on one of the seats of rock in the water, facing the door. The temporary utter calm provided by the water was soon gone as I remembered that I wouldn't be alone for long.

Now, I feel like what I'm feeling at the moment deserves some elaboration. It isn't like the only thing I'm feeling is anxiety. I was more than a little excited, as well. In, uh, a couple of different ways.

While the girl I was currently waiting for was my little sister, she was also my girlfriend, not to mention a fashion model. It should go without saying that, as a woman, I found her extremely attractive. The thought of her getting in this bath with me did not do wonders for my blood pressure.

I'm sitting here getting all hot and bothered waiting for my little sister. God damn, I'm sick. But you already knew that. I think we're a bit past the point of no return in that regard.

I took a deep breath and laid my arms on the side of the bath, letting my head fall back to stare up at the ceiling. Was I hoping that something would come from this? The more base part of me said yes, and the small part of me that still had any sense said no.

But common sense and logic hadn't gotten me where I am today. That much was certain.

Well, I suppose worrying about it too much wasn't going to do me any good. I should simply enjoy my time here with Kirino, and let things happen in whatever way felt right.

Okay, great. But my heart rate didn't seem to care that I'd reached that resolution. Something it _did_ appear to care about was the soft click that suddenly came from the door, as it went into my throat, then attempted to beat its way out my chest.

The door creaked open a crack. The familiar red-brown hair soon became visible, followed by a single blue eye that instantly locked onto me, then the rest of Kirino. Clad only in a white towel that clung to the curves of her body in a tantalizingly alluring fashion. Her hair was held up by a pin. To me, she managed to simultaneously be gorgeous, provocative, and adorable.

She blinked at me a few times, her face redder than I had ever seen it, then softly closed the door. I heard the faint click of the lock being thrown.

After hesitating by the entry for a moment, she made her way to the edge of the bath, her gaze fixed firmly on the ground. Even if I wanted to say something, I doubt I'd be able to force any words out of my mouth. So I just sat there and stared, my mouth slightly open.

Kirino appeared to be struggling with herself. She stood there, one arm hugging her chest, the other gripping the fabric around her legs, slowly twisting left and right nervously.

After almost a minute of this, I gulped and managed to coax myself into croaking out her name.

"Ki…Kirino—"

"Sh."

As soon as I spoke, she became abruptly still.

"Just…don't talk."

I felt my heart thumping furiously in my chest as she looked up and locked eyes with me. Her eyes flashed with conviction.

Then the towel dropped to the floor.

Now, I've seen naked women before. I was a healthy, red-blooded young man, after all. I had a special box under my bed, like I'm sure so many other guys do. I've even seen Kirino sans clothing before, and that's not considering all the times when we were kids. Somehow, this was different.

I'm not really sure how to describe exactly _how_ , it just…was. Maybe it had to do with the fact that we were officially lovers now. I don't know.

Kirino stood there, stock still. The flickering light from the lanterns danced off of her smooth skin, giving her form an otherworldly glow. Judging by her posture, she was extremely embarrassed. Her arms were locked in a position halfway to covering her most delicate areas, like part of her wanted to immediately cover herself, while another part was fiercely determined to ensure the opposite.

Just like her limbs, her face seemed to be to fighting the same battle. She simultaneously wore a look of bashfulness and intense determination. I couldn't tell if the fire in her eyes was merely the light from the lanterns, or if it came from deep within her. Probably a mixture of the two.

And of course, there was her body itself. I mentioned that I was a red-blooded male, didn't I? It would be impossible to _not_ feel some kind of base desire, our peculiar circumstances notwithstanding. Kirino's knees were firmly pressed together, but that didn't detract from the sight of her long, shapely legs, and certainly not the curve of her hips and waist.

To put it simply, she was absolutely gorgeous.

The sight of her seized my heart, mind, and body, causing a surge of affection to well up in my chest. It took me a few moments to regain my composure.

When I did, I realized that I had been sitting there with my jaw threatening to hit the floor.

Around the same time, Kirino appeared to get a grip on herself as well.

"Y…S-Stop staring!"

She probably meant to say more. And that remark was also probably meant to have a lot more gusto in it. But what came out was much too quiet to be an actual demand.

"…I'm…I'm getting in now."

"Oh…uh, yeah." That was about as much as I was able to get out.

It dawned on me that she was probably so nervous and embarrassed that she simply forgot to scrub herself before getting in the bath. I didn't plan on saying anything about it though; something told me that wouldn't go over too well with her at present.

As Kirino lowered herself into the bath, I couldn't help but shuffle around a little even though she was on the opposite side. Someone with that level of radiance just seemed to deserve some space between her and a mere mortal like me.

…Or I was just really friggin' embarrassed.

Yeah, that was probably it.

Alright, let's step back for a second. There's something I should probably explain.

It kind of goes without saying that the situation I currently find myself in would easily lead me to consider the possibility of certain things. The nature of Kirino and I's relationship involving such matters merits elaboration.

We're both still virgins. The Christmas Eve we spent in the hotel after I confessed to her was…passionate, to say the least. However, both of us agreed that it was a little sudden to make that leap right away. I won't say we didn't do _anything,_ but…well, I'll spare you the details.

That was part of the reason I've been hesitant to get that intimate with Kirino. That and, despite the fact that we obviously had strong feelings for each other, the fact remained that we were still siblings. As a result, that line was bolder and more defined than it might have been for a normal couple.

Now, though, things were different. We were in a real, non-limited relationship. We're away from home, at a hot springs resort. It's just the two of us here. Oh, and we're both naked.

It'd be a tad ridiculous to _not_ have some "impure thoughts" run through my mind. The question is whether or not we were prepared to take that step.

All that said, it's quite possible I'm just getting ahead of myself. Maybe nothing of the sort would happen, and we would just enjoy a nice, relaxing soak and each other's company.

Yeah. Maybe.

A myriad of possibilities bounced around my head as Kirino settled herself in, taking a seat directly across from me. Still, she wasn't even a meter away from me. Oh, and did I mention she wasn't wearing clothes? Yeah. So my heart rate had not slowed one bit, and I didn't expect it to any time soon.

So, here I was, sitting in a private hot spring with my little sister, who was also my girlfriend, and both of us were as naked as the day we were born.

So much for my beloved "normal life." Then again, I'd kind of kissed any possibility of normalcy goodbye quite a while ago.

Hesitantly looking up at Kirino, I saw that she kept her eyes firmly away from me. To be honest, I couldn't really blame her. The amount of tension that hung in the air between us was so thick that I swear I could actually see it.

What was going through her head right now? Were her thoughts similar to mine? Was she regretting this whole trip? We may be a lot closer now, but I still wasn't able to tell what she was thinking a majority of the time. Frankly, it was incredibly frustrating. Almost as frustrating as this awkward silence. Seriously, how was I supposed to break the ice in this kind of situation?

Deciding that I should say something, anything, I looked up and opening my mouth to say something, locking eyes with a Kirino doing the exact same thing. We both paused and blinked.

"Oh, uh, go ahead," said Kirino.

"No, no, you were about to say something. You first."

Frowning, Kirino eventually acquiesced.

"I was just...uh, wondering what you were thinking about."

Ha. I guess her thoughts were more similar to my own than I thought. Except maybe the part about her curves. I probably shouldn't tell her about that. Smirking slightly in amusement, I answered.

"Trying to imagine what _you_ were thinking about."

She stared at me for a second, then cracked a smile and started giggling. I soon followed suit, and before long the two of us were clutching our stomachs in a fit of nervous laughter.

When we recovered, Kirino looked over at me.

"We're kind of ridiculous, aren't we?" she said with a smile on her face.

"Yeah, I suppose so."

I returned her smile. I still felt anxious, but a lot of the tension had left my body. Both of us seemed to be aware of the fact that we were both embarrassed, and that made us lighten up a little.

And then that slight peace of mind was immediately thrown out the window when Kirino waded over and sat so close to me that we were almost touching.

"Hey…"

I gulped audibly.

"Um, what?"

"Do you…think I'm attractive?"

What in the hell?

"Where is this coming from?" I asked, confused.

Kirino furrowed her brow at me. She had moved her face so close that if I nodded I'd headbutt her. She probably didn't notice because she was focusing on her absurd question, but I was extremely conscious of her proximity.

"Just shut up and answer the question!" she barked in my face.

Ow. I'm two inches away from you, idiot. There's no need to raise your voice. Granted, she was probably just nervous, but still.

"Of course I do."

I answered honestly.

Kirino immediately went into thought, rubbing her chin with her hand.

"Hm. Okay…what exactly about me do you find attractive?"

"Oh come on—"

"Answer!"

This girl. She was so difficult, really.

It was unbearably cute.

"Okay…" I said. "Your hair. I do like your natural darker color, but I think it looks good dyed too."

"Not good enough."

Y'know, I _could_ try and argue with her and say she's being ridiculous. But at this point, I knew better.

"Alright, your eyes. I love how blue they are. And how they shine when you're talking about something you really care about."

"That's better, but you're still not there."

She was still frowning. What the hell? Was this a contest? Was there something specific I was supposed to say?

You know what, fine. I can play that game, Kirino. I took a deep breath.

"I admire how passionate you get about things. I always have, even back when we didn't talk. I think it's adorable when you get flustered and you blush. You have one of the best figures I've ever seen. You're slender, but have curves where it counts. Especially your legs. I think they're amazing. However, the most attractive thing about you is when I'm able to do something that makes you smile. You frown a lot, so your smiles aren't easy to come by. But when you _do_ , it's the most beautiful thing in the world to me."

Alright, I meant everything I just said, but that was some of the most embarrassing words I think I've ever uttered. They did achieve the desired effect, though.

Kirino stared at me, taken aback. Then, one of those small smiles I'm so fond of started to creep onto her face. She averted her eyes from me.

"So?" I said. "How about that?"

"…Pass."

Without warning, Kirino threw herself onto me, which would be all fine and dandy, except for the fact that we were in our birthday suits. Before I could react, she was straddling me.

This could be a problem.

"W-Whoa, what—"

She leaned in, her lips tickling my ear.

"Shh."

The sensation sent a chill up my spine, but not in an unpleasant way. I couldn't will my body to move an inch, but I was determined to ask her something.

"So what about me?" I said.

"Hm?" She didn't pull back, but instead murmured into my ear again.

"What do you like about me, then?"

"Why do I have to tell you that?"

Her voice was tinged with a familiar irritation, but she still didn't move. I had to wonder if she was in a similar state as me and simply wasn't able to.

"Oi, I was honest with you. It's only fair," I pressed.

"Geez, fine!"

She wrapped her arms around me tighter and squeezed.

"I…I like how reliable you are, I guess. You're always helping me out with stuff, and…putting up with my selfish whims. I don't know why you do it, honestly, but…it makes me happy. Really happy."

Kirino buried her face in my shoulder.

"But…I feel like I don't do enough for you. Like you're constantly doing what I want to do, and I never—"

"It's okay."

"Huh?"

Kirino pulled back to look me in the face, perplexed. I continued.

"You don't have to do anything special for me. For a long time, I told myself that I only put up with everything because it's what any big brother would do. But honestly, if I wasn't enjoying myself, I wouldn't do it. I guess…I do it because, um, well…I love you."

Now it was my turn to wrap my arms around her.

"And you somehow, some way, ended up returning my feelings for you. That's all I could ever ask for."

"K-Kyousuke…"

Kirino put her head back on my shoulder and returned my embrace. It really was quite adorable.

Until now, I had been completely absorbed in Kirino and I's conversation. All of a sudden though, I became intensely aware of Kirino's body pressed firmly against mine. And on top of me.

And try as I might, there was nothing I could do to keep my body from reacting accordingly. And, of course, this did not escape Kirino's notice.

Her whole body stiffened (no pun intended), and she pulled back to look down, and then up at me. Then anywhere but either of those two places.

Saying I was embarrassed would be putting it lightly. I was mortified. Experience was telling me that my physical well-being was in danger of a swift slap to the face. So it was only natural that I would attempt to apologize pre-emptively.

"…Um…sorr—mmfgh!"

I wasn't able to finish my apology, thanks to Kirino pressing her lips against mine. Whether or not she heard me and was trying to shut me up, I don't know. And honestly, I didn't particularly care. All I could think about was the warmth of her against me, the feeling of her mouth moving against mine.

Kirino started grabbing fistfuls of my hair, letting out small wimpers. I could feel the reason leaving my head, being replaced with fuzziness. Before I lost myself entirely, I gently pushed her away to speak.

"W-Wait a second, Kirino."

She looked at me, red in the face and panting slightly.

"What…What is it?"

"Well…I mean…I think I see where this might be…um…going…"

I trailed off pathetically, but managed to pick it back up.

"Look, Kirino. I just…need to know if this is what you really want."

Kirino cast her eyes downward, apparently in thought. Her eyes flicked up towards me a few times before she raised her head.

"…I…yeah. It is. I promise."

She flashed a smile at me.

"I…I, um…I love you."

Hearing those words come from her was extremely rare. In fact, I couldn't honestly be sure if she had ever directly told me that she loves me before. I couldn't help but grin at her.

"Alright. Maybe…the room, then?"

Kirino stared into my eyes. There was a certain unmistakable, intense, almost desperate yearning behind them.

She lightly laid her forehead against mine and closed her eyes.

"Okay. Let's go."


	8. All In a Day's Work

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Well, it sure has been a while since I've posted an update, and for that I deeply apologize. I have a lot of things to juggle, and unfortunately this story got put on the back burner for quite some time. Still, it's never been far from my mind. I often find myself thinking about ideas for where I want to take it, what I want to happen next, thinking about how characters will react to situations.

I'd like to thank everyone that has left a review or messaged me, I greatly appreciate it and it's been a big source of motivation for me to keep writing. I know I keep saying I'm still writing, and I really have been! Sadly, I've been horrendously slow lately. I hope you continue to bear with me.

As of now, my tentative plan is to get a new chapter up in a few weeks, and another one around Christmas. If life doesn't cooperate with that, I'll at least get the next chapter done by the time Christmas rolls around.

But that's enough blabbering from me. I hope you enjoy.

* * *

 _The abysmal garden I walk has fallen into darkness. Ashes rain from the heavens, brimstone smolders, obscuring my vision. Bereft I weep for the nourishing light that once flooded this realm. O, calamity! My light fades further into the dark, the fires of the unforgiving heavens rain and smoke rises from the desolate lands beneath the earth. What path left to me must I take, what sacrifices more must I make to rid my soul of this primal isolation? From whence must I—_

"Hello, Kuroneko-shi? Anyone home?"

I jumped, startled by someone addressing me. I looked over to find Saori staring at me from behind her thick swirly glasses, her hand still outstretched from snapping her fingers in my face. A rather rude gesture, to be sure, but one I suppose I could forgive.

I cleared my throat.

"My apologies. It seems that I momentarily lost myself in lamentation."

Saori guffawed obnoxiously, slapping me on the back with a not insignificant amount of force.

"Ah, no need to apologize. I, too, occasionally feel the need to lose myself in daydreams!"

"No, it—"

I stopped myself. There was no point in arguing the matter with this woman anyways. I decided a change of topic was in order.

"Anyways, what's with that getup?"

Gesturing at her attire, which consisted of a knee-length dress, high heels, and an expensive looking necklace, I had to wonder why she bothered with the glasses at all. I guess she still didn't always feel completely comfortable abandoning her "Mega-Otaku Saori Bajeena" persona. Saori scratched the back of her head embarrassedly.

"Well, I guess I just, eh…didn't feel like wearing something with buttons today."

"Hmm."

I swear, she was getting easier to read every day.

Taking a sip of my tea, I glanced around the place that had become our go-to meeting site: the Cure Maid Café. Exactly when it became a haunt of that woman, Saori and myself, I wasn't sure. Regardless, it held meaning to me as the site of our first meeting. I suppose.

Saori had called me last night and asked to meet up, so here we were. She said she had been about to call the princess, but remembered that those two were still away on their little trip.

"Say, Kuroneko-shi. Kyousuke-shi and Kiririn-shi return tomorrow, don't they?" Saori spoke up again.

I nodded. "So they do."

"Have you heard from either of them?" I could detect a faint but noticeable hint of displeasure in Saori's tone.

"I have not. That's to be expected, though."

I was no fool. Saori wasn't, either. It was clear to anyone with half a brain that those two were purposefully ignoring any attempt at contact. They were isolating themselves in their own little bubble, and that was the way they wanted it. It was only for a few days, yet something about it made anger flare up inside me for the briefest of moments. After her fiasco of a stay in America, did that woman really think it was a good idea to shut us out like that? I mean, honestly.

Or perhaps there was another reason for why I found the situation particularly distasteful.

Looking up, I found Saori with a rather somber look on her face.

"Kiririn-shi…doth still desire our friendship, doesn't she?"

I stared into the spirals of Saori's glasses for a few moments before closing my eyes and letting out a sigh.

"I see no reason for serious concern. She's simply…caught up in things at the moment. I believe things will return to normal. Just give it time."

Even as I watched a look of satisfaction slide over Saori's face at my words, I felt clouds gathering in the back of my mind. I believed what I was saying. I truly did. That's not to say that I didn't feel mildly annoyed those siblings seemed to be too wrapped up in each other at present to so much as contact us at all, of course. Still, my worries ran a bit deeper.

They went off on some trip to a hot springs resort for a few days, very shortly after affirming their continued immoral feelings for each other. It was almost like some kind of twisted honeymoon of sorts. And I was well aware of what couples did on their honeymoon.

Feeling an invisible hand grab my heart and twist, I took another sip to hide the face I was making from Saori.

* * *

"Now Kirino, make sure you're polite to all your teachers."

"I know."

"And try and make some friends, too."

"Mom, I'll be fine. Ayase is in my class."

"Make sure you don't forget anything."

" _Mom._ I. Will. Be. Fine. Who do you think I am, anyway?"

Sitting on the couch, I stifled a chuckle as our mother fretted around. It was the morning of Kirino's first day of school, and of course our mom is concerned over every tiny detail. She wasn't generally this much of a worrywart, but she did care about Kirino and I. I knew she just wanted us to do well.

Kirino threw an exasperated glance at me that quickly turned to irritation as she saw the amused look on my face. And after that…yep, there's the tongue stuck out in my direction. That just made me grin wider.

Heaving myself up from the couch, I threw my can of juice away in the kitchen then headed upstairs. Once in my room, I sat down at the desk and opened up Kirino's laptop, putting my headphones on. At some point, this had become a sort of habit for me. Once I learned how to use the internet, I had discovered the vast wealth of information and entertainment it could provide. It was seriously an infinite resource.

Sometimes I even looked up info about upcoming eroge before realizing what I was doing and hurriedly closing out of the webpage.

Damn you, Kirino. Stop corrupting me.

…Then again, considering recent events, I feel like I can't really talk.

Right. I should probably go over what happened during the rest of our hot springs trip, and since we got home.

So, as you probably guessed, we, uh…got rather intimate. And…okay, we weren't virgins anymore. We had sex. And it was awesome and great but awkward at the same time and I didn't really know what I was doing and neither did she so we just kind of rolled with it and a lot of nervous giggling was involved and there's, y'know, the whole blood-related thing which was probably at the back of both of our minds at least once but it was still awesome and I loved it.

...

Okay, let me catch my breath.

So we had woken up the next morning, and I had a bad case déjà vu to the morning in the hotel room after I confessed to her. Something along those lines. Both of us were pretty nervous and unsure of how we should act around each other. There's no way I can be completely sure what was running through Kirino's mind at the moment, but for me it was something like:

 _Well, I guess there's no going back now._

We had done something we could never take back. Even though we both knew we had no real desire to, I was still struck with the realization that it was now impossible for us to return to being anything like "normal siblings."

Eventually, though, we got over the initial awkwardness and felt (at least I did) a lot closer to the other. The two of us had ended up just lying there holding each other for a good long while before we got up and did anything. If I could start every day like that, I feel like I might be a happier person in general. Makes me want to try and get Kirino to share a bed with me. But maybe I'm getting ahead of myself a bit there.

Anyway, eventually Kirino seemed to decide that she had enjoyed what he had done the night before. She also, apparently, decided that she wasn't done. So by the time we actually went out and did anything, I was completely exhausted. Dammit. Playing all those sports gave her ridiculous stamina.

Oh yeah, and I'm not a hundred percent sure where it all came from, but she's been making some slightly odd requests from me lately. All of them have been either sexual, or romantic in a sappy way I didn't know she was capable of. Not necessarily strange or unwelcome, just things that are…very specific. For example, she said she wanted to…um, well, you know, "do it" right as the sun was going down and then have me wrap her in the sheet, cuddle her, and tell her that everything would be alright and that we'd be together forever.

Oh and another one. She says that once autumn rolls around, we have to go on a date to a park and buy hot cider. But only one. And then we have to share it.

Sounds romantic, cute, and sappy right? Yeah I thought so too. But seriously, just how specific can you get? I mean, I understand that girls are weird and can have peculiar expectations from a relationship, but I think I'm justified in saying, "What the hell?"

I'll never understand women. Kirino especially.

Well, I don't know about that. At the same time, I felt that with other things, I had a pretty firm grasp on her motivations and desires and whatnot. I knew the things that were important to her, that she cherished above all else. I knew firsthand just how much her friends, school, her job, and eroge all—

Wait a minute.

Eroge?

 _She's getting all these crazy ideas from—!_

 _"_ What are you doing, idiot?"

"YEEARGH!"

As one ear of my headphones was rudely pulled away from my head so that _someone_ could yell into it, I let out an absurd noise. I didn't need to turn around to figure out who it was.

"Don't just barge in and scare me like!" I yelled, turning around anyway. Kirino (of course) looked at me indignantly.

"Hah? It's your fault for sitting there zoning out with that overly serious look on your face."

"How would you know what my face looked like? You only saw me from behind!"

"I don't need to see it to know what your face looks like."

Ignoring the ridiculousness of that statement, I asked her the question that was begging to be asked.

"So? What are you doing in here, anyway?"

Kirino frowned. "Isn't it obvious? I'm about to leave."

"Okay?"

Kirino's expression soured, then turned into something that looked like she was expecting something from me.

"…Ah."

I was trying to work on this whole "dense" thing, I swear. I like to think that I've improved quite a bit. Maybe.

Standing up, I got a good look at Kirino in her new uniform. I was already familiar with it, considering she'll be going to my old high school. Tan-brown blazer, white shirt, blue-grey skirt. I'd seen it tons of times on hundreds of girls in my school. Still, I had to say:

"It suits you."

Kirino smiled and then hop-skipped right up to me in a girlish fashion that I still wasn't a hundred percent used to seeing from her. Directed at me, at least.

She looked up at me, her face still anticipative. I reflexively wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her to me. Considering the fact that she was about to leave for the day, and knowing Kirino's odd penchant for little ceremonies, it was far from difficult to figure out what it was that she wanted.

Leaning down, I lightly pressed my lips against hers. Feeling her cheeks pull upwards into a smile, I couldn't help but do the same. We stayed like that for a few moments before pulling away, but neither of us made any move to release the other. Kirino broke the silence.

"I have a shoot after school today."

Oh, yeah. She's a model.

"Ah, okay. So how late will you be?"

Kirino furrowed her brow.

"I'm not really sure. Sometimes they get the shots they want and it wraps up pretty quick, other times the photographer is a perfectionist and keeps us there _forever._ " She groaned. "Idiots. Hopefully this is one of the quick times. I don't really feel like being there for the rest of my life today."

"Yeah, that doesn't sound too great to me, either."

Kirino grinned up at me, then suddenly frowned and pushed herself away from me. She stuck a finger straight in my face.

"Don't think that _you_ won't be busy today. You have to find a job. I absolutely, positively refuse to allow you to become some kind of NEET."

Putting her hands on her hips and leaning in, her eyes bored into mine with a severity I could only get from Kirino. I raised my hands in a gesture of surrender.

"Okay, okay, I know. I'll go out and get some applications while you're gone. Probably look around online, too."

She straightened, apparently satisfied.

"Good. When I come home I want you to have no less than five interviews, either scheduled or attended. Understood?"

"Five?! Don't you think that's a little—"

The glare returns.

"Five. Or I won't speak to you for the rest of the night."

"A-Alright! Five interviews! Sheesh."

Kirino nodded, then turned and headed for the door. Pulling it open, she stopped and looked back, grinning.

"Good luck, Kyousuke. I'll see you tonight."

* * *

After Kirino left, I sat back down at the computer. Okay, sure, I had agreed to her ridiculous demand, but just how in the hell am I supposed to get _five_ interviews by the end of today? And what if I managed to just get a job? Did I still have to get five, or could I stop there? Common sense says that'd be acceptable, but the person that made these demands of me was known to lack that at times. Who knows how she'd react.

I sighed, resigned to my fate. I suppose I had to start somewhere. Just as I had decided to go to places around town after looking on the internet for a few hours, my phone rang. Picking it up, I glanced at the caller ID and raised an eyebrow before hitting the answer button.

"Hello?"

"Yo, Kousaka! What's the big idea?! You don't call, you don't write. I'm hurt, man. Really."

Hard to mistake that voice.

"Hey, Akagi. Sorry, I've been really busy lately."

"Ah, that little sister of yours dragging you all over the place like always?"

Perceptive ass.

"Gee, how'd you know? Anyway, what's up?"

"Well, I heard you were taking a break before starting college. That means you're looking for a part-time job, right?"

Okay, what the hell. Was this guy psychic or something?

"Uh, yeah. Why?"

I could practically hear him grin on the other end.

"Wanna go job hunting?"

* * *

As I stood outside the train station waiting for Akagi, I couldn't help but wonder about two things.

One, just how in the world did he have such impeccable timing? Is he a long-range mind reader or something? It was almost too perfect.

Two, out of all the places he could have chosen to look for a job, why in the hell did he choose Akihabara?

It wasn't like it was necessarily close or anything. But wait, no, that's not the problem here! This is _Akiba!_ Why would we look for a job _here?!_

I didn't have to wait long to voice my concerns, as I had only been standing there around five minutes before I heard the telltale "Yo, Kousaka!" from behind me. Turning around, I couldn't help but make a face at him. As to exactly what kind of face, I'm not sure. Probably a mixture of confusion, irritation, and worry. I almost wanted to see it.

He walked up to me waving, that wearing that cheeky grin of his.

"Hope you weren't waiting too long, man," he said, clapping me on the shoulder. I folded my arms.

"I've only been here five minutes. Speaking of which, why did you ask me to meet you all the way out here? Couldn't we have just met at the station in Chiba?"

Akagi scratched the back of his head embarrassedly.

"Ah, yeah, well, I was kinda out doing some errands and figured it'd be easier to just…since I was coming here anyway and…"

"In other words, you were running errands for your sister, she asked you to go to Akiba to get something for her, you're also looking for a job, and this was where you were going next."

"Gh!"

Akagi's eyes went wide and he took a step back, shocked. Not sure why he was so surprised, it wasn't too difficult to make that assumption. I sighed, amused.

"Hit the nail straight on the head, huh?"

Akagi grumbled before muttering, "…Yeah."

After that, we headed off into the Electric City, Akagi mumbling to himself as he walked. I didn't catch most of what he was saying, but the words "damn" and "sister" were easy to make out.

Yeah, I knew how he felt.

It would probably be a good idea to break him out of his little reverie.

"So, any ideas as to where we should start?"

He looked up, putting his hand to his chin and thinking.

"I dunno, there's tons of places. How about there?" Akagi said, pointing to my right. I turned my head to see where he was talking about, then turned back to stare at him.

"That's a doujinshi shop."

"Yep."

"…"

"…"

"Akagi…Why the hell would we apply for a job _there_?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" He looked at me, confused. "We're in Akiba. Where else would we look for a job?"

"I don't know, a restaurant?"

"What, you wanna cross-dress as a maid?"

I pinched the bridge of my nose. I didn't know how I didn't see this coming. I just sort of figured we would try places that weren't otaku havens when looking for work.

Akagi laughed loudly. "Ahh, don't be ridiculous! Of course we'll look for work at an otaku shop!"

"Um, Akagi, I see one problem with that. We're not otaku."

"You mean to tell me that you've learned nothing about anime or video games from your little sister or her friends?"

"I— "

Hm. I guess he did kind of have a point. Whether it was through osmosis or being forced to learn something by Kirino, I suppose I really had learned a decent amount about otaku culture. That was pretty hard to deny.

"Alright, fine. Fine! We'll give it a shot."

Resigned, I followed Akagi into the store.

* * *

"See man, what did I tell you!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know."

An hour later, Akagi and I walked out of a store called "Mandarate Complex" with letters detailing the terms of our employment. It was a large, multi-level shop that sold everything from figurines to doujinshi. We just happened to walk in a few hours after a couple of employees had quit, leaving them in bad need of help. Luckily, it was a stocking position, not sales, so the fact that I didn't have a deep knowledge of the products didn't matter that much. They only needed someone three days a week, so that left me plenty of time to study for college entrance exams, something I badly needed to do if I was going to be honest with myself.

Oh, I had also managed to land interviews with two other places. It wasn't the five Kirino had asked for, but I really didn't see much point in continuing to look after I had already landed a job. I doubt Akagi would be too keen on the idea, anyway. We decided to head to a café for lunch. Not really knowing where else to go, I led Akagi to the Justeen Café I often went to with Kuroneko and Saori.

After being greeted at the door by the hostess, we were greeted by another voice.

"Hey! Kyousuke-senpai! Akagi-kun!"

Both of us turned in the direction of the shout, and saw a familiar androgynous face sitting in a booth to our right.

"Mikagami?" I said, almost not believing it. Seriously, I've had enough coincidences for one day.

Nonetheless, we headed over and slid into the booth where Mikagami was sitting by himself with a cup of coffee. We ordered a few sandwiches and drinks, then turned to our mutual mop-haired friend (for lack of a better term), who seemed completely delighted to see us.

"I was just thinking about how long it's been since I've seen the two of you!" he said, beaming. "What have you been up to? I feel left out."

"Yeah, me too," Akagi said as he jerked his thumb in my direction. "I'm just as in the dark as you are. Today's the first I've heard from Kousaka since graduation."

"Whoa, seriously? That comes as somewhat of a surprise."

For some reason, small danger bells started going off in my head. It felt like they were about to start questioning me. Considering that most of what I've been doing has involved an illicit affair with Kirino, it would definitely be in my best interest to steer things away from myself.

"Ah, well, I haven't really been up to much," I said, trying to sound nonchalant. "Just starting to study for college entrance exams. Right now Akagi and I were out looking for a part-time job. Might as well do something constructive in between times. What about you, Mikagami?"

"Oh, work has kept me busy. They've been asking me for a lot of new designs lately, so I'm just trying to keep up. What have you been doing, Kouhei-kun?"

Akagi winced slightly. It seems like he had been hoping to be passed up as much as me.

"I've, uh…well, you know…"

Akagi's eyes darted left and right, apparently searching for words.

"Yeah I've been doing absolutely nothing."

He hung his head, ashamed. I couldn't help but want to console him a little.

"Hey, that's okay, man," I said. "We just graduated. I don't think there's anything wrong with taking a little break. Hell, I haven't done a whole lot, either."

"That reminds me, Kousaka-senpai, how are things going with Kirino-san?"

Damn you, Mikagami. Damn you.

I turned my head stiffly to look at him.

"What, uh…what do you mean?"

Ugh, that sounded bad even to me.

"I mean how is your relationship with Kirino-san going?"

I could feel Akagi's eyes boring into the side of my head. This was not good. Not good at all.

"I…uh, I mean she's still my bratty little sister, always bossing me around…"

"But I thought you two were dating?"

I felt a strong grip on my right arm. I turned to find Akagi's face inches from mine, his teeth gritted and his brows narrowed.

"Kousaka…are my ears playing tricks on me, or did Mikagami just say something very, _very_ interesting?"

Mikagami looked surprised.

"Kousaka-senpai, you mean you haven't told him?"

The grip on my arm tightened.

" _Kousaka~…"_

Shit. Shit, damn, shit. It looks like I can't completely get out of this one. I felt my heartrate skyrocket. I hate this kind of situations.

I reached over and gently pulled Akagi's hand off my arm.

"Okay, just calm down, man."

Akagi sat back and crossed his arms, obviously not calm.

"Spill it, Kousaka."

I took a good look at both Akagi and Mikagami. It was obvious that I wasn't going to get away without telling them about Kirino and I's relationship prior to graduating, at least. Part of me wanted to tell them _everything_ , to have a few confidants in the ongoing hurricane that my life has become.

But something in my head told me not to. That now was not the time. So, I took a deep breath, then recounted the events surrounding my confession to Kirino, our promise to be a couple until graduation, and our feelings towards each other. Akagi listened intently, and I must have said some things Mikagami wasn't aware of, because at certain points he let out noises of surprise. When I was finished, Akagi let out a long sigh.

"Wow. Just wow, man. That's kind of…I don't know what to say. I mean, I knew you and your sister were close, but…"

Akagi bit his lip, looking conflicted. It almost seemed like he was having some kind of internal battle with himself. Eventually, he looked up at me.

"You should have told me. Of all people, I could understand how you—"

Akagi cut himself short. Considering he was a massive siscon, he didn't really need to finish the sentence for me to figure out what he was trying to say. I wasn't completely sure of the nature of his relationship with Sena, if he harbored similar feelings towards her that I had for Kirino, but I knew that it wasn't completely wholesome. I mean, come on, at one point I had to practically drag him away from a "love doll" that resembled Sena to a frightening degree.

"I think it's beautiful, Kousaka-senpai."

Looking over, I saw Mikagami sitting there, smiling like always. I turned to face him.

"I've been meaning to ask you about that. Why is it that you're so accepting of this?"

He shrugged.

"Well, I'm not sure if you've noticed, but I've never particularly cared about what society thinks. I do what makes me happy, and that's that. So, when I see two people that make each other happy, I think it's wonderful. It's quite simple, really."

Speaking of love dolls, I suddenly recalled how this guy had one right in the entryway of his apartment. Yeah, he really _didn't_ care about social norms.

Still, I suppose he had a point. And I wasn't going to just blow off someone that showed his support for me so openly.

"Hm…thanks, Mikagami. You're an alright guy."

Mikagami said nothing, his widened smile being his only response.

Suddenly, I found a finger pointed in my face.

"Listen here, Kousaka. There is one thing that this absolutely does not change."

I shoved Akagi's hand out of the way.

"What's that?"

Akagi folded his arms and puffed out his chest.

"Sena is still, and will always be, the cutest little sister in the world!"

Oh, for God's sake.

* * *

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?! _Seriously?!_ You got a job at Mandarate?!"

"Uh…yeah?"

"Oh my god, oh my god! I'm so jealous! Do you get an employee discount? Does that apply to family, too? Can you get into exclusive events?! Will you hear about new releases before they're even on the news sites?!"

I sighed. The one making all the fuss was, as you may have guessed, Kirino. She _had_ been sitting on my bed until I told her about my luck with the job situation today. I was back at home in my room, sitting at my desk.

"Kirino, I don't know all the details yet. They just said they really needed help, and essentially hired me on the spot. I didn't really ask a bunch of stuff like that."

"Well you have to find out!"

Kirino grabbed my shoulders, her eyes flashing. Jeez, it was hard to talk to her when she got like this. That was one thing I had learned extremely well. Luckily, she seemed to have forgotten about her condition of five interviews. Still, a change of subject was probably a good idea.

"So, how was your first day back at school? And how was your photoshoot?"

Kirino finally stopped bouncing around the room and plopped herself back down on my bed.

"Eh, it was okay. Same old stuff. Ugh, the camera guy was one of the perfectionist types I was telling you about, though. He kept us there so long, I thought Ayase was going to chuck her shoe at him."

"Oh, Ayase was there too?"

Kirino narrowed her eyes at me.

"What's with that tone? Don't you sound a little too eager?" She scoffed at me. "Talking about other women to your girlfriend? Disgusting."

I couldn't help but grin.

"Is that jealousy I hear?"

"Ha! As if. I was just pointing out the fact that you're a good-for-nothing pervert."

"Right, and your mountain of eroge you have stashed in your closet makes you nothing of the sort."

"Oh, shut up."

We both smiled at each other. Kirino and I had always hurled insults at each other like this, but nowadays it was much more lighthearted and teasing instead of mean-spirited. It was fun, in a way.

"That reminds me though, Kirino. When's the last time you saw Kuroneko or Saori?"

Kirino blinked, then looked up at the ceiling while twirling a strand of hair between her fingers.

"I don't know. I message6 them a lot, though. Why?"

"It just feels like we haven't seen them in a while."

Kirino frowned.

"I guess. But we've been…busy."

I chuckled, standing up from my seat.

"Alright, well I say we give them both a call tomorrow and arrange to meet up this weekend. Sound good to you?"

"Yeah, yeah, sounds fine."

Satisfied, I nodded and moved towards the door.

"Right, I'm going to bed, then."

Kirino made no move to get up. Instead, he pulled her legs up and stretched out on the bed. I rolled my eyes.

"You want to stay in here tonight, I take it."

"Yep."

I was wondering why she had already been in her pajamas when she came to my room. Knowing better than to argue, I sighed, flipped off the light, and walked back over.

"Well, move over, then."

She obliged, although the bed was still cramped with two people in it. I didn't particularly mind, though. I laid on my back, getting comfortable.

"Goodnight, Kiri—"

I had been just about to roll over and kiss her goodnight when I heard a rustling and felt a weight plant itself on top of my midsection. I looked up to find Kirino straddling me, a distinctly evil grin just barely visible on her face through the darkness.

"Who said anything about going to sleep yet?"

…

Yeah, should have seen that one coming.


End file.
